Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettFlash 90

Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the religious-Zionist Jewish Home party, "is tipped as a possible future prime minister," according to the Financial Times.

Bennett told the Times that Israel’s counter-terror war in Gaza this summer had prompted a rightward shift among voters that will reflect in the make-up of its next government, which he said would be more “hawkish” than the current right-and-center coalition.

“What we learnt is that there’s no particular method for preventing missiles being shot at you from a piece of land you handed over to your enemies,” Bennett said

“The logic that the world will love us if we give up more land doesn’t work,” he said. “Now the Israeli public realizes it; I hope that gradually, world leaders and the world will come to understand that everything we thought until now about the notion of a Palestinian state next to Israel is inapplicable.”

Bennett said that the trend of condemning Israel in Europe is due to “massive” demographic changes there – most notably the rise of significant Muslim minorities. “That’s what they do towards Israel to pander to their voters,” he said.

“There is nothing we can do that would make these places happy,” he said. “The day after we found a Palestinian state we will get clobbered for defending ourselves against the Palestinian state, so what’s the point?”

“I think we’ve entered a new era where we have to restart everything – press the restart button and rethink everything,” he said, when asked whether he supported US Secretary of State John Kerry’s calls to resume peace talks.

Bennett also spoke to the newspaper about Israel's technological and economic prowess. “When you open up your cell phone the flash memory is an Israeli product; in your heart you might have an Israeli stent; the computer you’re using has an Israeli chip; the vegetables you are eating are irrigated with Israeli water technologies,” he said.