PM Naftali Bennett on Friday responded once again to the criticism levelled against him over a trip abroad taken by his wife, Gilat, and their children, just one week after Bennett urged Israelis not to fly abroad due to the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
In a post on Facebook published before the start of Shabbat, Bennett wrote,
“One last word about my family’s trip on a holiday abroad: First, I am open to criticism, and in this case I also accept it. Not every criticism is a personal attack, and not every decision of ours is perfect. But it’s important to me that you know something about Gilat: She’s the most charming and kind-hearted person I know, and like many parents, she, we both have a desire to make our children as happy as possible, especially in light of a difficult year in which their lives were completely turned upside down.”
“And in general – Gilat is a woman who knows how to handle herself and our family. As you saw, we conducted this issue in complete transparency, we announced the trip at our initiative and all the rules that apply to any other family, will also apply to my family. From the airport – to quarantine.”
“I wish all the vacationers a safe and healthy return. Shabbat Shalom and Happy Hanukkah, Naftali Bennett,” concluded the Prime Minister.
Bennett responded to the uproar on Wednesday and said his family “is subject to exactly the same rules that apply to all Israeli citizens. I understand the criticism, but since Friday we have learned more about the variant and in which countries it is spread, and the Coronavirus Cabinet has made decisions on which countries to travel and under what conditions.”
Bennett also wrote on Facebook,
“My family (without me, I am staying with you …) was supposed to go on vacation during the Hanukkah holiday in a country that turned out to be red. The holiday was immediately canceled, and after the new rules became clear, they booked a holiday to a country to which it is permitted to travel. Everyone goes out according to all the restrictions and of course will stay in isolation as required. The citizens of Israel are just as important to me as my children.”
MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) criticized the Bennett’s family’s trip on Wednesday and wrote that “after advising Israeli citizens not to fly abroad – Bennett’s wife and children take off for a vacation abroad. This is how it is when political lies became the norm and personal example is trampled on. Such chutzpah.”
After Bennett published his response to the criticism, Katz wrote,
“Bennett’s explanation for his family’s trip abroad, contrary to the warnings he gave to the public, is worse than the act itself.”
“Since Friday we learned more about the ‘variant’. So why did you not update the public and not change the recommendation? Zero credibility.”
Source: Arutz Sheva