Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stood in front of the cameras this week and lied. No, it was not another lie to his voters. This time, when he was asked about the eviction of the Homesh yeshiva, he said without batting an eye: "It was evicted several times in the past. I think the last time it happened in the Netanyahu-Smotrich government when I was in the opposition."
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The truth is, of course, that such a thing never happened, that the Religious Zionist party leader Bezalel Smotrich was in the coalition and Bennett in the opposition. It simply never happened. Many on social media wondered about the perplexing statement, with no one to respond.
Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev declared that he needed increased security after he allegedly received threats from right-wing activists for discussing "settler violence" with a senior US envoy. In my personal opinion, this is bogus.
Around the same time, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit told reporters about the "optimistic" security situation with "enemies in the North and South deterred" and "unprecedented silence in Gaza and the low number of killings [of Jews] in Judea and Samaria compared to the past."
Really? What about Operation Guardian of the Walls? We must have imagined it.
A recent IDF report said that there has been an increase in Palestinian violence in Judea and Samaria. How can one explain the contradiction then? Unclear. A lot has also been said about MK Idit Sliman, who claimed she was physically attacked but failed to present even a shred of evidence. In short, this is a trend.
And here I must point out that politicians do not always stick to the truth. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was caught in a lie more than once. However, the difference is that in Netanyahu's case, his statements were tested by the mainstream media with outcries and shock.
In contrast, the above-mentioned lies were not refuted but simply glanced at in one's feed. If so, how can Bennett, Barlev, the IDF, Sliman, and their associates do this? Because they can. Because no one will challenge their statements.
The reality is that half of the country is on fire: terrorist attacks occur in Judea and Samaria daily, only a three-minute walk from the National Headquarters of the Israel Police, which is Barlev's responsibility; lynching of Jewish families occur in Jerusalem's Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, also known as Sheikh Jarrah; and clashes on the streets of mixed city Lod is a daily occurrence.
Within the timeframe this piece was written, a Jewish woman was injured due to a stone-throwing at the Hizma checkpoint, stones were thrown at vehicles passing Deir Nidham, murder attempts were reported in Kochav HaShahar and IDF soldiers in Ramle were instructed not to wear uniforms for fear of their safety.
None of these were extensively reported in the media. There is a narrative to keep up: everything has returned to "sanity", there is a "unity" government, there is security. What about the fire in the background? Just keep going, there is no fire here, there is nothing to see here.
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