Lead
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has presented a sweeping blueprint he calls the “New Covenant,” describing it as a foundational plan to dismantle and rebuild Israeli state institutions across every major area of life. Speaking at a press conference and in subsequent appearances reported by the Jerusalem Post, the Together party chairman argued that the agreement between the state and its citizens has been broken and that the next government must function as a founding administration in the spirit of David Ben-Gurion. Bennett coupled the policy outline with pointed criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declaring that the current government is no longer capable of advancing Israel and vowing to do whatever it takes to defeat him in the coming elections.
According to accounts in the Jerusalem Post, Bennett said he has spent the past two years working with professionals to design solutions “from scratch,” asking them how they would construct an excellent state. The resulting agenda touches education standards, the relationship with the ultra-Orthodox community, security decision-making, the cost of living, local governance and the possible adoption of a constitution modeled on the spirit of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Coverage Comparison
Reporting by the Jerusalem Post has approached Bennett’s initiative from complementary angles. One strand of coverage concentrated on his direct critique of Netanyahu’s handling of the war with Iran and on Bennett’s assertion that personal interests have damaged Israel’s international standing. That material highlighted Bennett’s description of certain statements by the prime minister as “anti-leadership” and his insistence that a good leader builds a nation not dependent on any single individual.
A second line of Jerusalem Post reporting placed greater emphasis on the constructive content of the New Covenant itself. These accounts detailed Bennett’s proposals for higher educational standards, the creation of a new security cabinet, the breakup of food cartels and monopolies, the devolution of authority to local governments, and merit-based political appointments. They also recorded his pledge to reverse legislation he says enables haredi draft evasion and to establish a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas attack.
A third Jerusalem Post treatment framed the same vision around constitutional reform and the creation of a shared national foundation through a core curriculum. Across these reports the tone ranged from critical of the incumbent government to optimistic about the possibilities of institutional renewal, yet all relied on direct quotations from Bennett and presented the New Covenant as his comprehensive answer to what he terms Israel’s core problems.
Key Claims
- Naftali Bennett criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conduct of the war with Iran and stated that the current government is no longer capable of advancing Israel, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.
- Bennett said he would do whatever it takes to defeat Netanyahu in the elections and cited the example of Hungary, where Viktor Orbán was defeated by a right-wing candidate, according to the Jerusalem Post.
- Bennett presented a comprehensive plan for Israel’s future that includes education reform, higher educational standards, and a crackdown on what he called the “ultra-Orthodox state,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
- He vowed to build a new security cabinet, break up food cartels, and confront monopolies that he said politicians have lacked the courage to tackle, per Jerusalem Post coverage.
- Bennett plans to devolve authority to local governments and base political appointments on merit so that citizens receive service run according to high-tech standards, the Jerusalem Post stated.
- He called for the establishment of a constitution in the spirit of the US Declaration of Independence and for the reversal of legislation enabling haredi draft evasion, according to the Jerusalem Post.
- Bennett proposed that all students spend 60 percent of their studies on a core curriculum in order to create a shared national foundation, the Jerusalem Post reported.
- He aims to lower the cost of living by breaking up monopolies and cutting regulation, arguing that high prices stem from a lack of real competition, as carried by the Jerusalem Post.
Security and governance elements include the formation of a new security cabinet and the insistence that appointments be made on merit rather than political loyalty. Economically, Bennett identified monopolies and excessive regulation as drivers of elevated living costs and housing prices, promising to restore competition. He also listed crime, international standing and overall security among the priority issues a future government would address.
Bennett repeatedly cast the New Covenant as more than a conventional platform, portraying it as a foundational repair of the social contract. He told audiences that once leadership is freed from countless personal interests it becomes possible to achieve very great things, and he positioned himself as the figure uniquely able to replace the current prime minister. Elections are scheduled to take place no later than 27 October, and Bennett leads the Together list within the broader opposition bloc seeking to unseat Netanyahu.
The Jerusalem Post accounts consistently present these positions through Bennett’s own words, offering readers a detailed if single-sourced portrait of the former prime minister’s bid to redefine the terms of Israeli public life ahead of the vote.