Naftali Bennett's unwitting UN blunder - opinion

• Published date: 01 October 2021
• Author: RUTHIE BLUM
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Since the end of the holiday on Tuesday evening, the response has been increasing in ferocity with each passing news broadcast. That members of the opposition were quick to denigrate his performance was to be expected.

Ahead of his trip to the United States, reports were rampant that he would use the opportunity of his debut at the UN to distinguish himself from his predecessor. And sources in the know kept highlighting the fact that he wouldn't be using props, for example, to illustrate his points from the podium.

Ridiculing former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for holding up diagrams to warn the world against Iran is nothing new; his foes have done so for years, as have comedians on the political satire program Eretz Nehederet.

It, therefore, came as no surprise when Bennett refrained from any pictorial gestures. Nor was it a shock that his oration didn't resemble Netanyahu's.

The trouble is that his attempt to shine as the "anti-Bibi" made him barely able to shift inflection while reading from the prepared text that he had clearly rehearsed. His words were measured, with pauses for effect. But it wasn't the desired one.

IN FAIRNESS, Netanyahu is a hard act to follow when it comes to speaking in front of large crowds and TV cameras, particularly abroad. In this respect, Bennett deserves a break and even a bit of sympathy.

Though his command of English is fine, he simply doesn't possess the level of charisma or experience that his nemesis acquired and honed over the decades. This is forgivable.

Even his hackneyed description of Israel – "a lighthouse in a stormy sea; a beacon of democracy, diverse by design, innovative by nature and eager to contribute to the world, despite being in the toughest neighborhood on earth" – could be excused. Ditto for the corny comment, "Israelis don't wake up in the morning thinking about the conflict. Israelis want to lead a good life, take care of our families and build a better world for our children."

Yes, the above fluff, accompanied by the reminder that Israel is the "beating heart of the Jewish people," was par and pardonable.

Far less justifiable was his discussion of the country's internal politics, which he introduced by citing the "two plagues that are challenging the very fabric of society at this moment": The coronavirus and the "disease of political polarization," both of which "can paralyze nations."

The coupling was a neat rhetorical trick, aimed at touting his own recent rise to power through an...