Transcript
A (0:04)
You are listening to an art media podcast. Bennett has an awakening in which he says, what is this? What's the greatest danger? Is the greatest danger facing Israel are borders? Or is it the hatred and the divisiveness that's coming from inside?
B (0:22)
This election is going to be fought on basically one issue. Do we want AN ISRAEL that's October 6th or October 8th? October 6th, the year leading up to October 7th, we were tearing each other apart. October 8th, we instantly pivoted to a level of national unity that we've rarely seen in this country. Bennett is the prime minister of October 8. Netanyahu is the prime minister of October 6. And that's what the election's about. Foreign.
A (1:01)
This is Daniel Hartman and Yossi Klein Halevi from the Shalom Hartman Institute. And this is our podcast, for heaven's Sake, from the Hartman Institute and in collaboration with ARC Media, our theme for today is Bennett 2026. Naftali Bennett, the only individual who is running a party in the polls that competes with the Likud, the only potential candidate for prime minister who comes close to popularity to Netanyahu, and most importantly, the only one who, it seems, according to every single poll, is going to win the election. Currently, his coalition is a coalition of 59 seats, not including the Israeli Arab parties. And Netanyahu has maxed out at 51 currently. And to win in a stable coalition, reminding people, you need 61. So he's not far away. So there's something about him that is intriguing to the Israeli electorate. There's something about him that they feel good about. Our podcast today is to try to understand, who is this man? Who is he? Who is he? From the perspective you and I, as the average Israeli citizen, the person who's watching and trying to understand what is it that we hear from him, what comes to mind? What are his policies? Is this good news? Is this bad news? Can he lead us in the future? Our podcast really is. Who is this man? Now, this man historically, is a complicated guy. His parents made aliyah from America and he grew up here, spent a number of years outside of Israel. So he has a world Jewish experience.
B (2:43)
He went to a Jewish school in New York, didn't he?
A (2:46)
In Montreal, also in New York, yes, in Teaneck. Different places that his family moved during their careers in what's known as shlichut, you know, part of their work. He was in the most elite military force in the Israeli army, Sayeret Matkal. You don't get into that if you're a lightweight. By the way, Netanyahu was in the same unit, but his politically very successful lawyer, very, very successful business person, multimillionaire, ran things. But most importantly, when he entered into Israeli politics, he was firmly, firmly on the right. He was Netanyahu's chief of staff. He was the director of what's known in Hebrew as Moetzet Yesha, the Council of Judean Samaria Settlements. In other words, he was at the front of representing settler interests.
