Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke at The Abraham Global Peace Initiative’s annual Defender of Israel Tribute on Thursday night. The event featured a live interview with Bennett, who is currently leading in polls to potentially reclaim the prime ministership.

Bennett shared his vision for Israel's future, emphasizing his understanding of geopolitics and the role of artificial intelligence. He identifies as a hawk, positioning himself to the right of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite this, he presented a unifying persona during the interview, showcasing his youthful energy.

In his previous coalition, Bennett included eight parties, notably the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, a self-identified pro-Israel Islamist. However, when asked about the possibility of including an Arab party in a future coalition, Bennett expressed skepticism. He stated that any future coalition would only recognize parties that support Zionism, the Jewish state, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Given the current political climate following the events of October 7, he suggested that the Arab List would likely not be part of any governing coalition.

Bennett also addressed the contentious issue of a Palestinian state. He remarked, "October 7th gave an answer because October 7th was initiated from a Palestinian state in Gaza." He recalled that Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, handing control to Abbas, which he claims led to increased violence.

He proposed a new approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, consisting of three layers: security, economic development, and grassroots political leadership. However, when pressed about the feasibility of these goals for Palestinians, Bennett firmly stated, "No," when asked if he would agree to a Palestinian state if he were prime minister.

Reflecting on the failures leading up to the October 7 tragedy, Bennett acknowledged a significant underestimation of Hamas. He noted that Israel had viewed Hamas as weaker than Hezbollah and relied too heavily on physical barriers for security. He attributed the lapse in vigilance to social strife within Israel earlier in 2023, stating, "We lost focus. The army, the Mossad, the Shin Bet all said ‘stop it’ something bad is going to happen, but no one listened."

Bennett concluded by emphasizing the importance of Israel's mission to protect the Jewish people, stating, "We failed at Israel’s most fundamental mission … to ensure that Jews would never go through a pogrom again." He described the events of October 7 as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced without a strong Jewish state.