Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says Netanyahu is “incapable of governing” because he is controlled by far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and ultra-Orthodox groups, according to AlJazeera.

“He is incapable of governing his own government because Ben-Gvir and Smotrich and Haredim, they all control him,” the opposition politician said in an interview with podcast host Mario Nawfal.

Bennett says he would not have allowed people like Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, who he said make “really stupid statements”, into a government. He said he would have called any of his ministers who make comments such as theirs “to order”.

But “Netanyahu can no longer do that because he depends upon them,” Bennett added.

He acknowledged that Israel’s international standing has deteriorated badly, saying it stems from the government’s conduct and ministers inflicting “ongoing self-inflicted wounds” while the country conducted “zero public diplomacy”.

The former prime minister has argued that prolonged Israeli wars in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and the Iran war were contrary to Israel’s military doctrine and were draining the country. “It’s not Israel’s doctrine,” he said.