Just a week ago, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett sharply attacked the newspaper Israel Hayom, saying that it is a body that obeys only the interests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "Israel Hayom is Pravda," said the chairman of the Jewish Home, "it is a mouthpiece for one person - the prime minister. At every intersection where there was friction between the national interest and the prime minister, the newspaper always supported the prime minister. In the declaration of a Palestinian state, in Bar Ilan's speech, in the freeze, in the battles with Feiglin and Molly. It saddens me, it makes me a little sad." Bennett claimed, concluding: "Israel Hayom is not really a newspaper."'
Jewish Home chairwoman, MK Ayelet Shaked, also joined the fight against the newspaper, when she joined the bill aimed at limiting the power of the free newspaper.
But despite all this, this morning, Economy Minister Bennett published an article across the pages of the newspaper, under the headline: "They want to go to the UN? We'll buy them a ticket.".
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Bennett's article dealt with the political issue (or "the political tsunami," as the minister called it), and at the opportunity given to him, he tried to calm the people of Israel about the anxieties arising from the Palestinians' appeal to the UN, boycotts and legal claims in The Hague. "The time has come to change the concept. This is not a doomsday weapon, this is an empty gun. There is a good reason why the Palestinians are not members of The Hague, and are not members of the UN. It is time to understand what is at stake, to stop being afraid and, above all, to act." The minister conveyed his position with Napoleonic pathos.
""In conclusion," Bennett wrote, "the concept of 'going to the UN is a disaster' is baseless. But this self-intimidation exacts heavy prices from us and allows the Palestinians to repeatedly blackmail us. It's time to put an end to this. And the Palestinians are told: If you want to go to the UN, call and we'll buy you a plane ticket. You've certainly made your own mistakes." So far, everything seemed fine and dandy. But 'Israel Hayom' doesn't forget so quickly. After all, Big Boss is Polish.
To prove to Kebal Am and Israel that the newspaper is everyone's newspaper, and to make it clear to readers that even an opinion that differs from Netanyahu's will be given a platform, they published Bennett's article, but the slander he spread about the newspaper was waiting for him at the traffic light. The payoff: a juicy sting that was placed before him at the bottom of the article.
""Editor's note:" they added in a framed cube, "The chairman of the Jewish Home faction, MK Ayelet Shaked, has signed a bill aimed at closing down 'Israel Hayom.' Minister Naftali Bennett attacked 'Israel Hayom' last week in blunt words, claiming it is not a newspaper and calling us 'Pravda.' Despite this, as is our custom, we give expression to the full range of opinions.""
