Two men who once stood at Benjamin Netanyahu's side, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman, now find themselves on the far side of a divide that has hardened across Israeli public life. As the New York Times reflected in late October 2026, their estrangement from a leader they once served is read less as private rivalry than as a mirror of how deeply Netanyahu has split the country over whether he should keep power. Both share much of the right's ideological ground, which is precisely why their possible bids to unseat him carry weight.
Two Former Netanyahu Allies, Bennett and Liberman, Eye a Challenge to His Hold on Power
Two men once inside Netanyahu's orbit now eye his seat
Mark
Why does it matter that these two in particular are looking at a challenge?
Mimi
Because both are right-wing and both once worked with Netanyahu. Bennett was prime minister, Liberman was defense minister. The challenge comes from his own side of the spectrum.
Mark
So the story is really about polarization?
Mimi
That's the Times' framing. Their separate break-ups with Netanyahu are presented as evidence of how divisive he has become.
Luke
I'd flag that the word is "may." The reporting says they could bid to unseat him. Nothing here confirms that either has formally launched a run.
Mark
Do we know if they'd run together?
Luke
No. The material doesn't say. It doesn't give polling or any alliance either.
Mimi
Which is why the thing to watch is whether they consolidate or split the opposition.
Mark
And the polarization claim itself?
Luke
It's an analytical judgment, not a measured fact. It's a reasonable reading of the two careers, but it's the paper's interpretation.
Mimi
Fair. What's solid is who they are and that both have broken with him.
O Pulso
- A former prime minister and a former defense minister, both rooted on the right, have broken with Netanyahu in a way that unsettles the familiar left-right map.
- The rupture is being read as a symptom of a polarized Israel, where the question of Netanyahu's continued rule has become the central fault line.
- Both men are weighing whether to challenge him at the polls, with no public campaign, alliance, or polling yet detailing how they would proceed.
- The unresolved question is whether they will consolidate into one coherent opposition force or remain separate voices splitting the anti-Netanyahu vote.
Two men who once stood at Benjamin Netanyahu's side, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman, now find themselves on the far side of a divide that has hardened across Israeli public life. As the New York Times reflected in late October 2026, their estrangement from a leader they once served is read less as private rivalry than as a mirror of how deeply Netanyahu has split the country over whether he should keep power. Both share much of the right's ideological ground, which is precisely why their possible bids to unseat him carry weight.
Two men who once worked inside Benjamin Netanyahu's political circle are now positioned to challenge him. Naftali Bennett served as prime minister, and Avigdor Liberman served as defense minister. Both are right-wing figures, and both have broken with the leader they once stood beside.
The New York Times, in an analysis published October 27, 2026, treats their paths as more than two personal careers. It presents each man's evolution as a sign of how deeply Netanyahu has polarized Israel, where whether to keep him in power has become a defining line in politics.
The reporting is spare on details. Each has split from Netanyahu, and each may seek to unseat him in the coming election. What stands out is that the challenge comes not only from the traditional opposition but from figures who share much of Netanyahu's ideological ground and still conclude he should not continue.
The material does not cover any campaign, any alliance between the two, or polling on their support, nor whether they would run together. Those questions remain open. The thing to watch is whether they forge a single challenge as the election nears, or whether the opposition stays fragmented among several figures.
Two men who once worked inside Benjamin Netanyahu's political orbit are now positioned to challenge him. Naftali Bennett served as prime minister. Avigdor Liberman served as defense minister. Both are right-wing figures, and both have broken with the man they once stood beside.
The New York Times, in an analysis published on October 27, 2026, treats their paths as something larger than two personal careers. The paper presents the evolution of each man as an indicator of how deeply Netanyahu has polarized Israel, a country where the question of whether to keep him in power has become a defining line in politics.
The facts the reporting offers are spare. Bennett is a former prime minister. Liberman is a former defense minister. Each has split from Netanyahu. Each may seek to unseat him in the coming election. The piece frames that possibility as a consequence of the polarization it describes, not simply as a contest between rivals.
What stands out is the origin of the challenge. It does not come only from the traditional opposition. It comes from figures who share a good part of Netanyahu's ideological ground and who have nonetheless concluded that he should not continue to hold power. That is the sense in which their trajectories are offered as a measure of the divide.
The material available here does not lay out the details of any campaign, any alliance between the two men, or polling that would show how much support either could draw. It does not say whether they would run together or separately. Those questions remain open, and the analysis points to them without resolving them.
What to watch is whether Bennett and Liberman consolidate their efforts into a single, coherent challenge to Netanyahu as the election approaches, or whether the opposition to him stays divided among several figures.
Citações Notáveis
The paths of Bennett and Liberman are indicative of how Netanyahu has polarized Israel.— The New York Times analysis (paraphrased)
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Politics & Governance