(Adnkronos) – Two weeks before the elections in Israel, former Prime Minister and chairman of the B’Yachad party, Naftali Bennett, reiterates that he will not join a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His statements yesterday, which he claims were ironic, suggesting that Netanyahu could serve as a minister in his government, sparked strong reactions. “Netanyahu cannot remain at the helm of an Israeli government for another minute. He is responsible for October 7th and must go home,” Bennett emphasized during a conference organized by Yedioth Ahronoth.
Bennett also states that Netanyahu is responsible for his advisors’ alleged ties with Qatar, including his close associate Jonatan Urich, one of the main suspects in the so-called Qatargate case. Urich, ‘The Times of Israel’ points out, allegedly received payments from Doha shortly after the attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Bennett claims that Urich maintained direct relations with Qatar during the war and declares that “the same people who financed the fighters of Hamas’s military wing financed the group of advisors surrounding Netanyahu. Of course, he is responsible, because he did not dismiss them,” Bennett emphasizes, referring to Netanyahu. “How can soldiers’ parents feel at ease knowing that people on Qatar’s payroll are part of the Prime Minister’s inner circle?”
For Bennett, this is the “most serious betrayal in Israel’s history,” and he argues that Israel should classify Qatar as an enemy state. Bennett also attacks Shas party chairman, Aryeh Deri, regarding funding for ultra-Orthodox men who do not perform military service. Bennett, however, promises that if he is in government, he “will take money from those who avoid military service to give it to those who serve in the army.”
