I'll start from the end: Despite the fact that I truly support this government, or at least I think I do, I'm not sure I can take any more bizarre television appearances, such as the one provided by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday, the entire purpose of which was to show us all for the umpteenth time that he is everyone's prime minister.
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If you will, I'd like to discuss style and substance – two variables that ideally, when trying to put out a clear and powerful message, should complement and supplement one another.
Let's start with the style. What did we see? A large screen with infographics that would put a children's sticker book to shame; a black, crumpled, and dirty protective mask meant to help the prime minister demonstrate how, after more than a year of being in a pandemic, masks are still in our lives. I felt bad for Ayelet Shaked, at his side, the person he has leaned on the most to get to this point. For heaven's sake, if you're going to make a statement to the press, at the very least make sure you have all your ducks in a row before the cameras start rolling.
Let's move on to the substance. "You don't call a press conference over every little thing," Bennett told the Knesset plenum earlier this week, taking a jab at Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu. In actuality, it appears you can hold a press conference over much less. The only thing I heard on Wednesday was: "We're different from our predecessors."
What else, beyond typical soundbites such as this? "Wear masks, go get vaccinated and maintain social distancing." Incredible. Is this also what's written in the pandemic handbook? Netanyahu was saying the exact same things a year and a half ago. If the situation was indeed so grave as to justify this semi-tragic chain of events, why has nothing changed in terms of actual policy? Removing passengers from planes – is this the monumental strategy for eradicating the coronavirus? Moreover, how does shortening the quarantine period help flatten the infection curve? These are the new tidings you thought to present to the people of Israel?
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, your government's contrarianism is annoying, and at the moment seems like the only consistent thing you and your political partners have in common. If this is what we have to listen to for the next four years, I beg of you – please stop.
Back to the substance. Amid the stage props, supporting actors, and spastic dynamics of this coalition, you've thrown in old and uninteresting information – in an unpleasant and clumsy manner. If this sounds worse than Netanyahu and also looks worse than Netanyahu, what are we left with? Prime Minister Bennett, the election campaigns are over. Either you wake up and lead the country courageously and confidently, or go back to writing books for your headlines. Spare us this destructive and unbecoming conduct and use the opportunity you managed to manufacture for yourself and your seven mandates and show this new way of doing things you've been talking about already. And if you and your government choose the path of "I'll show you," go all the way with it. Spare us the performances, the incessant mudslinging, and mainly – this obsessive search for someone to blame. Get to work.
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