Bennett Shows His True Colors
Naftali Bennett faces "hypocrisy" claims after vowing to repeal the Rabbinical Courts Law. While Bennett calls it a "disgrace," archives show his former party and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked previously championed the exact same legislation.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sparked a political firestorm today after fiercely condemning the newly passed Rabbinical Courts Law, labeling it a "disgrace" and promising to repeal it. However, archival records reveal a starkly different stance from his time leading the "Jewish Home" party.
Following the law's passage in its second and third readings overnight, Bennett took to social media to blast the legislation, which grants rabbinical courts authority over civil monetary matters for consenting parties.
Bennett argued the law creates a "state within a state" and tears the nation apart during wartime. "As soon as a government under my leadership is established, I will cancel the disgraceful Rabbinical Courts Law," Bennett declared, adding that the move harms individual rights and grants excessive power to the Haredi-led establishment.
Despite his current rhetoric, legal affairs reporter Avishai Grinzaig and others pointed out that the very same legislative framework was promoted by Bennett’s own party in the past.
During Bennett's tenure as head of the Jewish Home (Bayit Yehudi), the party actively supported and advanced this specific bill.
Then-Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Bennett’s closest political partner, voted in favor of advancing the law within the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs.
"Bennett knows this and is making a serious U-turn here," Grinzaig noted, highlighting the gap between Bennett's past actions and his current "liberal" messaging.
In politics, today’s "disgrace" is often yesterday's flagship policy: Bennett is finding out that while he wants to delete the law, the internet never deletes the receipts.