Naftali Bennett speaks during a conference at the Reichman University in Herzliya, on January 22, 2026. (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)
At an event for olim, Bennett discussed his plan to “fix Israel together.”
Speaking to over 1,000 English speakers and olim (immigrants) in Tel Aviv, former prime minister Naftali Bennett outlined his plan to improve Israel, saying he would implement it immediately if reelected.
“I want to share with you what we’re actually going to do and then how we win,” he told the crowd on Tuesday.
Kicking off the event held entirely in English, Bennett said that as the child of parents who made aliyah from the US, he doesn’t take Israel for granted.
“Thank you not only for coming to the event but for making aliyah to Israel, and I guarantee you, it’s the single best decision you’ve made in your life,” he told the crowd of English speakers hailing from around the world.
Bennett is the leading competitor in the race for Israel’s next prime minister. His party, Bennett 2026, has been trailing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud in recent polls for the elections currently set to take place no later than the end of October.
“Look, I could spend the evening talking about the current government’s failures. There are a lot of them, but everyone’s doing that. So, I choose to focus this evening on my vision for Israel, my plan for Israel, and how we’re going to fix Israel together,” he said.
Ex-PM Bennett says he is ready to overhaul Netanyahu government
Bennett said that he had spent the past two years away from politics, creating a plan for the country that was fully ready to be brought into action the moment he stepped into office as prime minister.
“What that means is on the first day of our new government, I’m not going to waste precious time on preparing plans or setting up committees. We’re going to hit the ground running; we’re ready.”
He said that to develop his plan, he spent time with over 100 experts across numerous fields. “We built a plan to fix Israel’s biggest problems in all areas,” he said.
Among the main aspects Bennett pointed out for repairing the country were addressing crime in Israel, improving education, reducing housing costs, and prioritizing security above all else.
“Something we all feel, especially Americans who make aliyah or folks from abroad, we feel that the government’s not working. Public service doesn’t work well. Incompetent,” he said.
“In my government, ministers are going to be accountable. Every minister will receive transparent, measurable goals.”
“I’m going to put through a temporary executive order to go back and reexamine every political appointee of the past few years and replace anyone who doesn’t meet the professional standard.”
BENNETT SAID that on his first day in office, his government would decide to establish a state commission of inquiry to probe government failings that took place during the October 7 Hamas attacks.
“We’re not going to let anyone cover up October 7,” he said.
Another aspect Bennett said he would address would be canceling the law that the current government is advancing that claims to draft haredim (ultra-Orthodox) to the IDF. Critics argue that the law is a political measure that will not enforce conscription.
Bennett spoke about the importance of haredim serving in the IDF, as the military warns it is suffering from a lack of manpower.
“With this government, right now, there are 100,000 young haredim, perfectly healthy, that could be trained… And right now, they’re passing a law precisely so we don’t bring them in.”
“I believe that Torah study is important. The Torah kept us Jewish for thousands of years. But the Torah is very explicit. The Torah states time and again that when there’s a war, everyone goes to fight. All our heroes were fighters. Joshua was a fighter. Abraham was a big fighter and a businessman. Gidon was a fighter. King David was a huge fighter. They all fought in the army.”
Bennett said he would also work to pass a law limiting the time a prime minister can be in power. “I want to tell you that power corrupts, and absolute power for long periods absolutely corrupts. The people of Israel are greater than any individual leader,” he said.
Another core goal of Bennett’s government would be to lower the cost of living.
“Now, Israel is one of the most expensive places on earth. And it doesn’t have to be this way. This isn’t some force majeure. It’s not a force of nature. It’s about mismanagement.”
“Essentially, what we’re going to do [is] break monopolies, break up cartels, open the market, open exports, imports, competition, competition. And the most immediate tool for doing this is also reducing regulations. Because regulations create bureaucracy. We need to cut those regulations with a chainsaw and lower prices for Israeli citizens and for businesses.”
Bennett also said that his government would work to repair Israel’s international public standing.
“I’m not promising anyone the moon. What I am promising is a decent, competent, transparent, and just good government for the State of Israel that works for you,” he told the audience.