“Instead of fighting the pandemic in the country, you prefer to attack me. Just as King Saul once persecuted David in his last days.” With these words, Naftali Bennett, leader of the Yamina party, accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Instead of fighting around the clock for the people to save Israel from the health and economic crisis, you are wasting your energy fighting me.” Finally, Bennett added: “Neither political tricks nor any ruse will stop me from helping my beloved people in the midst of this hardship, as they suffer from government negligence.” These words were not uttered by a leftist, but by the rising star of the Israeli Right.

Netanyahu was equally critical of his rival, Bennett, as the Knesset winter session opened this week. Bibi is worried. If elections were to take place today, polls show that Bennett would win 20-23 Knesset seats. Netanyahu’s Likud would win just 26. For the first time, we are witnessing a true alternative right-wing leader who does not come from the Likud.

Young Naftali has got King Bibi sweating. He...