Bennett's lawyer once called him "a liar"; now represents him

In 2019, attorney Nadav Weisman attacked former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sharply, accusing him of "knowingly lying to the public." Seven years later, Weisman represents Bennett and his Yachad party in legal proceedings. And he is not the first to make the journey from harsh Bennett critic to member of his professional circle.

In March 2019, Bennett published a forceful message against the High Court, writing that in order to defeat Hamas, Israel needed to "free the IDF from the High Court."

Weisman responded with a sharp attack. "It's a disgrace that this is the education minister of the State of Israel," Weisman wrote. "He is knowingly lying to the public." He added that the independence of the High Court is "an Iron Dome protecting our soldiers," and that Bennett was trying to take it away from them.

Seven years have passed, and today that same Weisman is on Bennett's side: he represents Naftali Bennett and the Yachad party in legal proceedings and appears as their counsel. The gap between the two was not limited to a single tweet. Weisman was one of the prominent prosecutors in the trial of Elor Azaria, while Bennett was at the time one of the most vocal politicians calling for a pardon for Azaria and sharply criticizing the handling of the case.

And so, between "it's a disgrace that this is the education minister" and the legal representation of that same former minister, several years and a great deal of politics have passed.

Weisman is also not the first to make the surprising journey from sharp Bennett critic to his professional circle. Strategic adviser Lior Horev, who joined Bennett's campaign this year, used to attack him in particularly harsh terms and called him, among other things, "an absolute zero," "a lapdog," and "Bibi's doormat." The years passed, and in the end the harsh critic became a campaign adviser. Now, with Weisman, it appears the pattern is becoming hard to ignore.

We requested responses from attorney Nadav Weisman and the Yachad party. When received, we will publish them.