Naftali Bennett Coalition: Former Ally Claims Voter Fraud

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, now a member of the Likud party, launched a scathing attack on former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during an interview on a podcast with journalist Shirit Aviton Cohen of Israel Hayom newspaper.

The exchange intensified when she recounted a recent private conversation she had with Bennett. She told the podcast that she had confronted Bennett about his decision to assume the premiership despite his party winning only six Knesset seats, suggesting it stemmed from "love of power." According to the journalist, Bennett responded that his motives were driven by pure love for the State of Israel and the Jewish people, claiming he sought to rescue the country in its hour of need.

Chikli forcefully rejected this explanation, characterizing it as deception: "He deceived, cheated and lied to the voters. I was shocked by his conduct. What's going on with you, tell me? Are these votes ours? These six mandates are yours? Whose votes are these? You promised people a right-wing government."

Cohen noted that in practice, the government Bennett led did not implement radical changes or extreme left-wing policies, but Chikli argued that the very act itself set a dangerous precedent: "The fraud itself is insane. The very precedent of a prime minister with six mandates. He wasn't prime minister for even a minute. He was like a puppet sitting on the chair."

[Bennett formed a coalition government in 2021 that included parties from across the political spectrum, including left-wing and Arab parties, despite having campaigned as a right-wing candidate. Chikli, who was elected on Bennett's Yamina party list, later broke with Bennett over this decision and eventually joined the Likud.]