In a new interview, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said 70% of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the October 7 massacre and that Israel should not allow them a state, while simultaneously arguing that rapidly improving their quality of life is an Israeli interest.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett doubled down on his assessment of Palestinian public opinion in a brief statement circulated Friday afternoon, repeating the claim from his earlier Unholy podcast interview that 70% of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria support the October 7 massacre and seek Israel's destruction. As The Zioneer reported at 15:20 today, Bennett made the same assertion in the podcast and opposed Palestinian statehood. In the latest remark, he added a sharp edge: 'To double their living standard — that is an Israeli interest' — framing economic improvement as a security measure rather than a moral or diplomatic gesture. The statement drew immediate scrutiny for its seemingly contradictory message: denying Palestinians political sovereignty while calling for rapid economic development. Bennett did not elaborate on how the two goals would be reconciled. The comment adds to a string of recent Bennett statements on the Palestinian Authority and internal Israeli politics, forming a consistent line: no state, no sovereignty, but significant economic investment under Israeli control.
2 developments
- DevelopingBennett interview sparks backlash: Smotrich warns of ‘terror state’ in West Bank
- DevelopingNaftali Bennett declares he will hand over Areas A and B to a Palestinian state
- StrongBennett: 'Netanyahu tenure began with civil war, continued with Oct. 7, ends with failure against Iran'
- DevelopingBennett Calls for Strong Israeli Response, Warns Against Symbolic Action
Source and signal
- Internal intake