Former Israeli PM Bennett prepares political comeback, registers new political party: ‘Bennett 2026’

Despite presiding over the largest catastrophe in recent Israeli history, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has overcome initial slumps in the opinion polls and today is again comfortably leading in the most recent polls.

However, the picture changes drastically with the addition of one key player: Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Most polls show that if he were to run in the coming elections with a new party, he could rival Netanyahu’s Likud for first place.

On Monday, Bennett sent the strongest signal yet that he indeed intends to throw his hat into the next race, and registered a new party with the temporary name, “Bennett 2026’.”

“If and when a decision is made to contest the elections, an announcement will follow,” Bennett stated.

The former chairman of the Jewish Home and Yamina parties stepped away from public life and politics after his short-lived “government of change” broke apart in 2022.

Bennett was denigrated as a traitor by large parts of the right-leaning electorate due to agreeing to join a left-wing government, including an Arab Muslim party, while leading a right-wing party.

However, sources close to him told Ynet News that he sees large potential among undecided voters, including the 40% who they say are right-leaning.

Bennett reportedly hired two political consultants to research the voter potential on both sides of the political divide. Since the Oct. 7 war began, Bennett’s public appearances have aimed to reestablish him as a centrist force, tough on security but moderate in other fields.

His former ally Yair Lapid congratulated Bennett: “Israel needs a good government,” he added. Responding to Lapid’s post on 𝕏, the Likud Party quipped, “We don't interfere in how the left distributes its mandates.”

Bennett’s start on the political scene came as chief of staff to Netanyahu, before becoming director of the Yesha Council, an umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria.

From 2012 to 2018, he led the religious and hawkish Jewish Home Party, the traditional political home of the settler movement. During this time, he advocated plans to annex large parts of Judea and Samaria.

Next, Bennett established the New Right and Yamina ("rightwards") parties, garnering seven Knesset seats in 2021, with which he joined the left-leaning government coalition led by him and Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid.

His short tenure as prime minister was characterized by constant revolts and infighting in his party, as most of his allies eventually defected.

According to the Ynet report, Bennett intends to learn from his mistakes.

He is said to have hired an experienced human resources adviser and established a multi-stage vetting process to screen all candidates who seek to join his party.

If the government manages to stay intact – a true rarity in Israel’s political system – the next regular election date is set for Oct. 27, 2026.