Bennett's perilous paths to the premiership - analysis

• Author: GIL HOFFMAN
• Published date: 30 March 2021
• Date: 30 March 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Noting that when Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman was a political kingmaker, he would go to eastern Europe without a cell phone, Bennett said he had promised his son David, who is in third grade, that he would stay in Israel and take him to the beach.

That political promise was easy to keep for Bennett, who posted a selfie with David in the Jordan Valley on social media. Besides the beach, Bennett took his kids to climb the Masada fortress.

But Bennett must soon go back to work and devote his attention to fulfilling his other campaign promises, which will be a more challenging uphill climb.

His main promise during the campaign was to become prime minister, though he never explained how he would do it. Winning only seven seats made that task even harder.

Bennett has multiple possible paths to the premiership, all of which could easily fail. He will decide which path to take over the weekend after meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Sources close to Bennett said that currently, all the options were open, which is true, because he has not started his decision-making yet. The following are his options in no particular order of preference.

Bennett could demand a rotation in the Prime Minister's Office from Netanyahu, coerce an endorsement from him to be his heir apparent and merge Yamina into Likud. This is said to be the preferred option of his number two in Yamina, Ayelet Shaked.

He could demand a rotation in the Prime Minister's Office with Lapid as part of a coalition of the "change camp." This is the preferred option of his rival turned ally, Gideon Sa'ar, who has told Lapid he would not join him without Bennett.

Bennett also...