Ahead of Israel's elections, Bennett rejects two-state solution as Eisenkot surges in polls Submitted by Ayse Betul Aytekin on Mon, 07/27/2026 - 11:46 Naftali Bennett is trailing his rivals in third place in the polls ahead of October’s elections Naftali Bennett speaks to the media on 15 January 2024 (Jack Guez/AFP) Off Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that he “will not allow a Palestinian state to be established”, even at the cost of normalisation with Saudi Arabia. “I am not giving up territory, period,” Bennett said in an interview with Israeli Channel 12, stating repeatedly that he will advocate for sweeping reforms across the Israeli state if elected. Israel is gearing up for a general election on 27 October, widely seen as one of the most consequential in the country’s history, which could end Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure and that of his right-wing Likud Party.
A recent poll by the Israeli newspaper Maariv showed Likud dropping to 20 seats, followed by Yashar party, led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, which reached a record poll high of 23 seats. Bennett's Together party came third in the polling with 17 seats. The two-state solution is central to discussions surrounding the Abraham Accords, the normalisation agreements between Arab states and Israel.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Saudi Arabia, a crucial regional partner for the US, has yet to join the accords. While serving as army chief, Eisenkot publicly advocated closer ties with Saudi Arabia, saying the two countries should work together to counter Iran's influence in the region. He also said Israel would be willing to share intelligence with Riyadh to confront Tehran.
Push for reform “I am the most suitable person to lead the historical correction that needs to be made here in the State of Israel,” said Bennett in the interview. The Channel 12 presenter repeatedly accused Bennett of "dodging every question" on the establishment of a Palestinian state and whether his previous coalition with Yair Lapid, the centrist former prime minister and leader of the Yesh Atid party, had been a "failure". 'I am the most suitable person to lead the historical correction that needs to be made here in the State of Israel' – Naftali Bennett, on Channel 12 Throughout the interview, Bennett insisted that his main focus is fixing Israel's leadership.
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