Ex-Israeli PM Bennett says Israel has ‘lost US, world’

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Wednesday that Tel Aviv has "lost the United States" and the wider international community, warning that the country's global standing has plummeted to its lowest point since the state's founding. Speaking at Israel's Security Concept Conference in Tel Aviv, Bennett delivered a scathing assessment of the current government's diplomatic track record and its management of international relations.

Multi-front failures

"We've lost the United States, we've lost the world," he said, adding that Israel faces its gravest international isolation in history. Bennett accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration of failing to secure victories across multiple fronts, stating: "The Netanyahu government does not know how to win anywhere — not in Gaza, not in Lebanon. They are not winning anywhere." The former premier also noted that Israel lacks effective institutions to counter influence campaigns targeting the country.

Electoral challenge

Bennett has positioned himself as a leading challenger to Netanyahu ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections, repeatedly criticizing the government's handling of relations with allies and its conduct of the war on the Gaza Strip. Israel has faced mounting international condemnation over the conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of the enclave's population since October 2023.