What We Know About Bennett and Liberman's Rift With Netanyahu

Two Israeli politicians who once served under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister, and Avigdor Liberman, a former defense minister — are positioned as figures who broke with him on the political right, according to The New York Times. The newspaper's report frames their separate trajectories as a case study in how Netanyahu has polarized Israeli politics, though it does not detail a confirmed campaign by either man to challenge him.

Who are Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman?

The Times identifies Bennett as a former prime minister and Liberman as a former defense minister, both situated on Israel's political right. The report does not specify the exact dates of their respective tenures or the parties they currently lead, limiting what can be stated here to the roles the Times attributes to them: one as a past head of government, the other as a past chief of the defense portfolio.

How did they break with Netanyahu?

The Times describes both men's political evolutions as illustrative of a broader split on the Israeli right away from Netanyahu, without laying out a timeline of specific votes, resignations, or public statements that marked the rupture. The report's central claim — that their paths diverged from Netanyahu's — is stated as a pattern the newspaper observed rather than as a single documented event. No direct quotations from Bennett or Liberman are included in the material reviewed for this report.

Could either mount a bid to unseat Netanyahu?

The originating headline raises the possibility that Bennett and Liberman "could bid to unseat" Netanyahu, but the underlying report, as summarized, treats this as a live question rather than a settled fact. It does not state that either man has declared a candidacy, set a campaign date, or secured a coalition of support. Readers should treat the prospect of a formal challenge as unconfirmed pending further reporting from the Times or other outlets.

What does their split say about Israeli politics?

The Times frames the two men's divergence from Netanyahu as evidence of polarization within Israel's right-wing political space — the idea that figures who once worked alongside or under Netanyahu have moved to positions opposed to him. The report does not include polling data, vote totals, or sample sizes to quantify how widely that polarization extends beyond these two individuals, so no numerical claim about public support can be made here.

What to watch

• Whether Bennett or Liberman makes any formal announcement about a leadership bid, and when.
• Whether additional reporting from the Times or other outlets adds dates, direct quotes, or polling figures to the picture sketched in the Oct. 27 report.
• Whether other right-wing figures are named alongside Bennett and Liberman as having broken with Netanyahu.
• Any response from Netanyahu's office or allies to claims about a rift with former Cabinet members.

What remains unknown

The material available describes a general pattern — two prominent right-wing figures whose political paths separated from Netanyahu's — without furnishing the specific mechanics of that separation or evidence that a unseat-Netanyahu campaign is underway. No researcher-style quote, survey finding, or sourced figure accompanies the claim in the material reviewed, so this report is necessarily narrower than the original headline might suggest. Readers seeking the full account, including any additional detail the Times may have published on Bennett's and Liberman's specific policy breaks or campaign plans, should consult the original article directly.

The absence of named sources, dates, or figures in the material reviewed means this report should be read as a preliminary account of a developing story rather than a complete record of a political challenge to Netanyahu. Further coverage, if it specifies concrete next steps — a party platform, a coalition announcement, or an election filing — would resolve the central question the original headline poses: whether either Bennett or Liberman actually intends, and is positioned, to run against Netanyahu.