The latest flare-up in the cabinet between Likud and Habayit Hayehudi is the first sign that Education Minister Naftali Bennett has yet to give up on his dream of becoming defense minister.
The last time he tried to extract this concession from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he failed miserably: Not only did Netanyahu stand firm; he managed to crush his rival on prime time, dealing him a humiliating blow.
Bennett was forced to drop his demand and lower his gaze, with many saying that he would not dare make the same demand ever again. If there is one thing Bennett learned from that mistake it is that his voters don't back him when he goes overboard.
It is safe to say that Habayit Hayehudi voters and many Likud voters would be happy to see Bennett become defense minister, as this would force a paradigm shift and do away with the flawed policies that have guided recent defense ministers.
Demanding the defense portfolio is one thing, but toppling the government over this demand is something else entirely. To his credit, it should be said that Bennett understood this and chose not to submit a resignation letter, thus averting the biggest mistake of his career.
The renewed spat around the cabinet table over the latest attacks in Judea and Samaria is not just the usual fight between Likud and Habayit Hayehudi over the right-wing base. Rather, it is Bennett's attempt to lay the groundwork for another ultimatum on getting the defense portfolio. He will issue it only after the next election and it will be his prerequisite for joining the coalition. Unlike his previous ultimatum, this time around he will make sure that his voters have his back.
But one must wonder whether Bennett is not being opportunistic this time around as well, fighting with the prime minister just days after Israeli soldiers and civilians were killed by terrorists. Closing ranks and uniting all the factions in the cabinet against the enemy would have been perceived as a more responsible move, and perhaps even more politically effective.
