Naftali Bennett was sure that just because he had become prime minister he would see a rise in popularity, just like Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert did upon assuming office. He was certain that even though his ascendance was met with attacks from the Right, with many accusing him of using dirty tricks to get there, the dust would eventually settle and people would become used to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. In essence, he believed that being prime minister would make him "presidential" because of the enormity of the title, just as was the case with his predecessors. But his popularity stagnated and even dropped, and he would soon realize that something was wrong.
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Eventually, Bennett decided he would no longer be the victim and go on the offense. It was not easy, but he ultimately embraced this, according to people in his inner circle who said his then-aide Shimrit Meir convinced him that he must not let the attacks of the "poison machine" go unanswered. As part of this shift, Bennett decided to target Benjamin Netanyahu, his predecessor, blaming him for the "poison machine", describing him as the "inciter-in-chief" and as the orchestrator of a whole host of boiler room operations that would make sure to make any discourse around then-prime minister inundated with toxic rhetoric.
Meir ultimately left Bennett's orbit after a big falling out with his people, and even gave scathing interviews against her former boss. But recently the two have buried the hatchet and appear to be working on a book that could come out in several months. The assumption was that Israel will soon find itself in yet another election campaign, providing an opening for a potential Bennett comeback, but the clear-cut Netanyahu victory on Nov. 1 makes that unlikely.
Some of the people who know Bennett have wondered whether the recent lawsuits he has filed against his attackers are actually part of the writing process. They say that Bennett truly believes that Netanyahu was the mastermind of the character assassination campaign waged against him and that he is determined to make it go away.
The respondents Bennett has sued indeed crossed the line in their attacks, going beyond what is legitimate criticism against an elected official. They will have to work hard to win the ensuing trial. His decision to wage a personal legal battle against people who are largely anonymous is not an easy feat. They could summon him and his family members, as well as former staffers, to testify. This could make the trial into a circus, but Bennett appears to be bent on moving forward despite this.
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