Last update: 8/30/202410:45 PM (Makkah Time)
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Friday that the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have prompted many Israelis to consider emigrating, noting that tens of thousands of residents of the northern regions are living as “refugees.”
Bennett explained, via his account on the X platform, “Before the attack of October 7, part of the Israeli public felt that the government hated them, but the attack caused the opposite phenomenon, which is the struggle for the country,” according to what was reported by the Anadolu Agency.
“But as the months passed, despair crept into the hearts of large segments of Israelis, as government policies led them to think about permanent emigration,” he added.
He wondered why government ministers were busy with themselves day and night, never stopping to quarrel with each other, and to tarnish the reputation of the IDF leaders? Why is there an entire sector of Israelis (referring to the ultra-Orthodox Jews) refusing to enlist? “And how did Hamas make us look incompetent?” he said.
Bennett pointed to the growing frustration among Israelis and a general feeling that the government is deliberately making decisions to harm a large segment of Israelis, and that tens of thousands of Israelis from the northern regions are living as refugees, criticizing the lack of government plans to return them to their homes.
Crisis escalation
Bennett, who served as Prime Minister of Israel between June 13, 2021 and June 30, 2022, added that current policies contribute to exacerbating crises rather than resolving them, and that the failure to manage the security and economic crisis has led to a feeling of collapse and hopelessness, considering that the government is ignoring internal challenges and failing to provide solutions to housing, security and economic problems.
Netanyahu’s government is facing severe internal criticism for failing to achieve its declared goals for the war on Gaza, especially what it calls the elimination of Hamas, while a large segment of Israelis and opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of “sacrificing the prisoners in Gaza and continuing the war for his political interests.”
Israeli economic indicators have declined against the backdrop of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip for the 11th month, as the budget deficit in the 12 months ending last July reached 8.1% of the gross domestic product, or the equivalent of 42 billion dollars, while Fitch Ratings lowered Israel’s credit rating by one notch, from (A+) to (A).
According to Hebrew media, about 120,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the north (the front with Hezbollah in Lebanon) and the south (the front with Gaza) since the beginning of the war on Gaza to hotels in various parts of Israel.
Earlier today, the Maariv newspaper published a poll showing that 49% of Israelis believe Bennett is the best candidate to head the government, compared to 35% who prefer Netanyahu for the same position, but Bennett has not officially announced his return to political competition.
The newspaper explained that the emergence of a new party headed by former right-wing Prime Minister Bennett could significantly change the distribution of seats in parliament, and that the new party would win 23 seats out of a total of 120, while the Likud party headed by Netanyahu would win only 19 seats.
