The Media Line: Bennett Unveils ‘New Security Concept,’ Vows Full Military Drat, Tougher Approach to Iran, Qatar and Hamas  

Bennett Unveils ‘New Security Concept,’ Vows Full Military Drat, Tougher Approach to Iran, Qatar and Hamas  

By The Media Line Staff  

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett declared that Israel’s current security policy remains trapped in an “October 6” reality and announced that the Beyachad party would adopt a “new security concept.” He added, “National security is not just our army. It consists of military power, economic power, diplomatic power, and internal power.”  

At the Beyachad national security and foreign policy conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Bennett and Opposition leader Yair Lapid outlined the party’s vision ahead of the October elections.  

Bennett said the military would adopt a more proactive strategy: “We will replace the containment and passivity of the Netanyahu era with initiative and decisiveness.” To achieve that goal, he said, “We will draft everyone without exemptions and without shady deals.” Opposing exemptions for yeshiva students, Bennett observed, “It is not possible for the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] to be short 20,000 soldiers while 100,000 healthy young ultra-Orthodox men are not serving.”  

Education and the economy became focal points of Bennett’s remarks, as he emphasized the crucial role artificial intelligence will play in Israel’s future. “AI is the weapon of the future. In the not-so-distant future, AI capabilities will be more important than even nuclear weapons,” he said, declaring that Israel would not be left behind.  

Emphasizing the importance of a core curriculum in building a strong economy, Bennett criticized ultra-Orthodox schools that lack sufficient studies in math, English, and technology.  

“To save the Zionist state, we will dismantle the ultra-Orthodox state. We will stop funding institutions that do not teach math, English, and Zionism. Whatever isn’t Zionist — won’t be at taxpayers’ expense!” Bennett said. “There will be one excellent state education system for all Israeli children, including our ultra-Orthodox brothers.”  

Speaking about the perceived decline in Israel’s international standing, Bennett said, “We have lost the world. It is simply inconceivable that after 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered here in a pogrom, we are at the lowest point in our international standing since the founding of the state.” He proposed establishing a national public diplomacy body under the Prime Minister’s Office that would fight back against Qatar, Iran, and those hostile to Israel.  

Regarding diplomacy, Bennett called for strengthening the Abraham Accords and the Negev Forum, which was initiated by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and pursuing normalization with Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and other countries. “We will build an alliance of moderate forces in the region against Iran, Qatar, Turkey, and radical forces,” he said.  

Bennett warned against the threat posed by Qatar and what he described as the mistaken perception of the Gulf state as moderate. “Qatar is not a ‘complex country ’; Qatar is an enemy. It financed the October 7th massacre and is now working to destroy us … Qatar is an enemy. Cut your ties with Qatar.”  

He criticized the current deal in Gaza, which Bennett described as leaving Hamas in control despite Netanyahu’s stated goal of destroying the terrorist group responsible for October 7. Bennett pledged, “We will not move a millimeter from the Yellow Line until Hamas is completely disarmed and this weaponry is removed from Gaza. We will maintain security freedom of action throughout the Gaza Strip. We will remove Qatar and Turkey from Gaza and replace them with Egypt. Whoever allows Qatar and Turkey to run Gaza is preventing the dismantling of Hamas.”  

Although this may require saying “no” to America, Bennett said Israel must be prepared to stand up to its ally when necessary.  

Bennett said a government he would lead would regard Iran as the main source of the conflict and strike it directly rather than responding only to its proxies: “If Hezbollah fires at us, we will fire at Iran. An attack by the arms of the Iranian octopus within Israel’s borders will result in a price being paid within Iran’s borders.”  

“The essence of our strategy against Iran is very simple: to ensure that the regime falls before it goes nuclear,” he said, explaining that economic pressure and technology would be essential tools for achieving that goal, rather than relying only on bombs.  

Bennett concluded his remarks by addressing what he called the often-neglected “ticking time bomb” of illegal weapons and arms smuggling, which he said is too often treated as a criminal issue rather than a security threat. “We will define arms smuggling as terrorism in every way. We will use the full power of the state – including the Shin Bet and the IDF. Wherever there is intelligence that there are weapons caches, we will declare that location a closed security zone.”  

Caption: Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaking at the B’Yachad national security and foreign policy conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday August 20, 2026. (Elad  Gutman) 

Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Click here to read the full article