The New Hope party was allegedly responsible for the smear campaign directed at Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, an investigation conducted by the Central Elections Committee revealed this week.
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Bennett appealed to the committee to examine the issue after several anonymous articles appeared on the Outbrain digital media showing him in a bad light.
According to Channel 12 News, a dozen articles published about Bennett were marked as "sponsored" and described him as a "reckless" candidate for prime ministership who not only does not aim to transform the government but will end up cooperating with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the elections.
After Bennett's appeal, Committee Chairman Justice Uzi Vogelman requested a response from Outbrain, which allegedly revealed that the person who sponsored the publications was most likely New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar.
Although the committee has not ruled on whether to obligate Outbrain to reveal the identity of the sponsor, the fact that the digital media's response was drafted by Sa'ar and New Hope's lawyers makes it seem that they were indeed the driving force behind the publications.
New Hope said it was "working to bring to the public's attention information that was published in leading Israeli media [outlets.] Ahead of Purim, the time has come to take off Bennett's mask and tell the public with a clear voice what Bennett and Yamina are trying to hide – that voting for Bennett is tantamount to voting for Netanyahu."
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