Bennett and Shaked exchange verbal blows - Israeli media

The exchange began with a comment Shaked made to Yediot Ahronot and Ynet on Sunday in light of her breaking off from Yoaz Hendel and the Zionist Spirit party.

 NAFTALI BENNETT in the Knesset this week – he was left playing lead soloist with some admirers, but few true followers willing to pay to see him perform, in a band that was breaking up. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
NAFTALI BENNETT in the Knesset this week – he was left playing lead soloist with some admirers, but few true followers willing to pay to see him perform, in a band that was breaking up.
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and alternate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have been decidedly harsh toward one another this week while speaking to reporters and constituents. 

The exchange began with a comment Shaked made to Yediot Ahronot and Ynet on Sunday in light of her breaking off from Yoaz Hendel and the Zionist Spirit party. She said: "After these elections, I will do everything to establish a stable and broad government...I will make sure that right-wing government is formed - in my way."

According to Walla, she continued, saying, "the previous government was a constraint that created boycotts, so it fell apart."

She also stated that she herself had made mistakes. The inference widely made by Israeli news outlets is that she considered the formation of Bennett's government a mistake. 

Bennett's rebuttal 

The former PM responded on Wednesday to the former leader of Yamina, reiterating that he believes the decision to form a government under him was a good one. He claimed that those who think otherwise are in a state of "post-trauma." 

 An election campaign poster of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, in Jerusalem, September 12, 2022 (credit: OLIVER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
An election campaign poster of Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked, in Jerusalem, September 12, 2022 (credit: OLIVER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)

Bennett made this statement at the inauguration of the Pnima House, an organization meant to bridge social and political gaps in the Israeli public, in the city of Lod.