Bennett, Netanyahu Trade Barbs in Heated Debate

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his predecessor, former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, attacked one another on Monday in the Knesset after a special meeting was called to discuss the coronavirus pandemic.

The special plenum debate in the Knesset was triggered by the opposition after garnering 40 signatures of MKs, which meant the Prime Minister had to be present and defend his government’s actions in the wake of the recent surges in hospitalizations and community spread in Israel.

While Netanyahu delivered a strong rebuke of Bennett’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and called it a “failed response,” Bennett appeared to spin his hand next to his head in a way that is generally perceived to mean “crazy” by Israeli speakers.

Before Netanyahu went on a tirade against the government, Bennett defended his policies and said that unlike Netanyahu’s government, “we did not subscribe to panic and do not believe that the coronavirus pandemic is the end of the world.” Bennett added that “the easiest thing was to hit the lockdown button, but we are fighting to keep the economy open.”

Netanyahu hit back, saying, “You blame everyone but yourself. You are taking all of us over the cliff,” referring to record cases and severely ill patients in Israel over the last several weeks.