Mazel Tov: A Little Naftali Bennett Is Born in Israel - Dan Illouz | Gilad Katz

Dan Illouz, who presented himself as a staunch right-winger and a guardian of Netanyahu from the right, gradually drifted away from Likud and the national camp. His votes against the coalition and his move to Yisrael Beiteinu completed the trajectory that turned him into a 'little Naftali Bennett'. The column compares Illouz to Bennett, accusing him of disconnecting from the national camp and turning to the left, while criticizing an interview in which he preferred Yair Golan over the Haredim as a political partner.

In this opinion column, Gilad Katz argues that MK Dan Illouz, who presented himself as a staunch right-winger and as someone who would protect Netanyahu from the right, has become a 'little Naftali Bennett' after gradually distancing himself from Likud and the national camp. Katz compares Illouz to Bennett: both recited right-wing ideology, enjoyed a hug from the right, and slowly began voting against their party and the coalition, while explaining that they are the true representatives of the national camp. The climax was an interview last Saturday night, in which Illouz was asked who is preferable as a political partner: Yair Golan, who supports the establishment of a Palestinian state, or the Haredim. Illouz replied that Golan is not terrible, which in Katz's eyes symbolizes the crossing of the Rubicon and his becoming an integral part of the left. The column ends with an ironic blessing: 'Mazel Tov! A little Naftali Bennett is born in Israel; Dan Illouz.'