Speaking in a televised address on Thursday, Bennett questioned Netanyahu's handling of Qatar, accusing him of previously refusing to take action against the Gulf state despite repeated demands.

"Everyone knows that for a very long time, I repeatedly demanded that Netanyahu declare Qatar an enemy state. And repeatedly, Netanyahu refused, choosing instead to whitewash it. To this very moment, he continues to keep advisers in his office who have already been proven to have received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Qatar during the massacre, during the war, and who worked from within his office to advance Qatar's interests," Bennett claimed during a TV address.

His remarks followed renewed concerns about possible foreign interference in Israel's October 27 parliamentary election.

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs Israel's Central Elections Committee, has asked the Shin Bet security agency to investigate suspected foreign funding and possible election bribery.

Israeli media have linked the suspicions to Qatar, although Sohlberg did not identify any country. The allegations remain unproven.

Bennett argued that Netanyahu's renewed attention to Qatar was politically motivated, accusing him of exploiting the controversy following the inconclusive election.

"This morning, suddenly, when it serves his interests, Netanyahu remembered Qatar and is using it to sow chaos and undermine public trust in the democratic process,” Bennett added, calling on the Israel Security Agency and the Elections Committee “to act swiftly,” and on Netanyahu to “declare Qatar an enemy today.”

The dispute has also revived scrutiny of the so-called Qatargate affair, which involves allegations that individuals connected to Netanyahu's office received payments to promote Qatari interests.

Qatar has previously rejected Bennett's accusations.

Sohlberg has instructed Shin Bet chief David Zini to submit his findings within a week.

According to Israeli media reports, the investigation concerns suspected foreign funding of efforts to increase voter turnout among Arab communities.

However, no evidence establishing Qatari involvement in electoral wrongdoing has been made public.

Netanyahu's Likud party has separately accused Arab-led political parties of widespread electoral fraud .

Police said they found no evidence supporting those allegations. No connection has been established between the alleged voting irregularities and the foreign-interference investigation.

The political dispute comes as Israel faces uncertainty over the formation of its next government.

Preliminary results from the October 27 election indicate that Netanyahu's bloc secured 53 seats, while the Jewish-led opposition won 48 and Arab-led parties obtained 19.

Neither main political camp reached the 61 seats required to form a majority in the 120-member Knesset.