Prime Minister Naftali Bennett began his first cabinet meeting June 20 with a firm statement about the election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s new president. He said, “Raisi is personally responsible for the murder of many thousands of innocent Iranian citizens. His election is a signal to the world powers to wake up. It may even be the last signal they get, moments before they come to a nuclear agreement. It reminds them with whom they are doing business, and what kind of regime they are choosing to bolster. What is obvious to all of us is that this is a government by hangman. They must not be allowed to have weapons of mass destruction. That has always been the clear and consistent position of the State of Israel.”

Bennett’s warnings, which fall well within the consensus of Israeli public opinion, were quoted extensively by the media. He went on to speak about how his new government would operate, and made all sorts of commitments to work on behalf of Israelis.

That evening, Bennett was the main guest at the annual memorial event for the casualties of the 2014 Operation Protective Edge. He took the opportunity to send a belligerent message to Hamas, saying, “Our enemies will get to know the rules: We will not tolerate violence and a slow drip [of rockets]. Our patience has run out.”

Despite all his statements, the big question on everybody’s mind is what kind of prime minister he will be. Bennett is an enigma. Is he no more than an opportunist without inhibitions, as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims, or is he the right person to head the new government and lead Israel to civil and social achievements?