Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettShlomi Cohen/ Flash90

Jewish Home leader and Education Minister Naftali Bennett believes that elections are not yet on the horizon. He estimates that the Netanyahu investigations will not lead to an indictment but like his coalition colleagues he is also preparing for elections. Bennett has brought forward the Jewish Home party's internal elections and says he is aiming for leadership.

Bennett believes that before the elections his party will gain ground in opinion polls and that if Netanyahu leaves politics the Likud party will shrink dramatically, leaving the Jewish Home party as the only real alternative on the right. Bennett also believes that Yair Lapid's candidacy for premier is bad for the State of Israel.

In order to forestall Lapid's rise in the polls, Bennett intends before the election to merge with the Likud, just as Yisrael Beytenu did in the past. In this way he will be able to gain the premiership via the ruling party.

If Netanyahu continues to serve in the next election as leader of the Likud, Bennett intends to demand - either from within the Likud or outside it - the Defense Ministry. In the previous election Bennett was promised the Defense Ministry but the prime minister reneged on that promise.

Bennett admits in private conversations that he has not succeeded in implementing his agenda of building outside the "settlement blocs" and claims that despite pressure from the right, Netanyahu still believes in the 'two-state solution.'