Now he has just a handful of seats in the Israeli parliament – but Naftali Bennett could soon become the country’s next Prime Minister – as part of a power sharing deal with the opposition leader Yair Lapid.
Mr Bennett has emerged as kingmaker in a loose coalition of parties united mainly by their desire to get rid of the long serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who so far he’s been unable to form a majority with his traditional allies – and is in the midst of a corruption trial.