There is a lot we do not know about the incoming government, but their main agenda is clear: they have set out to restore democracy, return the power of decision-making to those elected by the people, and limit the influence of those who never had to be elected, a.k.a. the judges.
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At first glance, it sounds wonderful, but only let us remember that there is another group that was never elected by the people and whose newly-found influence also needs to be limited: the spouses of elected officials.
Of course, I am not talking about a husband and wife consulting on a particular matter, as it is completely natural to do so in a supportive relationship. But in recent months we have heard too much from people who based their importance on the role of his or her spouse.
Just the other day, Ayala Ben-Gvir was being interviewed by Channel 13 News at the same time as her husband, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was interviewed by Channel 12 News. Yes, Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit garnered a respectable amount of Knesset seats in the election, but that does not mean that his wife is his representative.
And earlier this year, when Idit Silman defected from then-Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's Yamina party – sending ripples throughout the political system that ultimately resulted in the downfall of the Bennett-Lapid government – her husband kept jumping from one news channel to another.
Caution is necessary even when both spouses are public figures in their own right, but certainly when it comes to individuals whose title boils down to "wife of" or "husband of."
The media, in turn, has to learn to separate the political-public sphere from the personal and refrain from dragging – intentionally or unintentionally – the private lives of elected officials into the spotlight.
True, the public is much more likely to read such a story, but it undermines the work of elected officials who intend to get things done and presents the media as unprofessional.
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