Ex-PM Bennett, Ben Gvir deny report alleging exchange of ‘hush money’
After Kan claims former premier paid NIS 35,000 to political rival in 2020 to keep a secret, both men say money was solely a lawsuit settlement, while trading barbs
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former premier Naftali Bennett adamantly denied Wednesday that he had paid National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hush money to keep quiet about damaging personal information.
The denial, which was backed by Ben Gvir, came after Kan news reported earlier that a sum of NIS 35,000 ($9,750) that Bennett had paid Ben Gvir as part of a defamation settlement was intended to keep the latter from going public with potentially damning dirt on him.
According to Kan, after suing for defamation in 2020 over unfounded accusations by Bennett’s wife Gilat, Ben Gvir began publicly claiming to have damaging information about Bennett that was “really below the belt” and “could tear a family apart.”A month later, the two sides reached a settlement during a lengthy meeting that sources described as ‘warm.'”
Kan quoted anonymous sources who claimed that Bennett had since been less critical of Ben Gvir than he has of other coalition leaders.
In a lengthy response on X, Bennett replied that “there is not and never has been any hush money,” calling any claim to the contrary a “complete lie.”
As part of the mediation process, “a compromise was agreed upon that included compensation, and this was implemented. That’s it. No hush money, no blackmail, nothing,” he wrote.
Dismissing the media report, the statement accused political opponents of operating “a machine of lies and poison that will do everything to harm Bennett, because they understand that he is the only one capable of winning [an election] and replacing this shameful government and rebuilding Israel.”
“This time we will not remain silent in the face of fake [news]. This time we will fight the machine with all our might, because millions of Israelis are tired of this bullying, the lies, and the violence,” he said, promising that “change will come” and appearing to implicitly confirm he will challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election. Bennett recently registered a new party under the temporary name “Bennett 2026.”
Apparently seeking to underline his point, Bennett added that “Ben Gvir is a unique failure as minister of national security, who engages in the gimmicks and PR that characterize this government, and therefore during his tenure, murders in Israel (not including the October 7 massacre) doubled.”
Ben Gvir also denied the Kan report, stating that “Naftali Bennett never paid me ‘hush money’ — he paid compensation for false slander that his wife Gilat spread against me and against Otzma Yehudit activists.”
Adding that he’d donated the money “to the heroic soldiers of the IDF,” Ben Gvir accused Bennett of being “a particularly failed prime minister, who deceived right-wing voters, stole their votes, and with their help established a government with Abbas-Hamas.”
Ben Gvir was referring to the leader of the Ra’am party, Mansour Abbas, who has been accused by the hard right of being a terror supporter, without basis. Abbas has regularly condemned terror attacks.
Ben Gvir had filed the lawsuit in 2020 after Bennett’s wife claimed that activists from his far-right party had been behind a break-in at their home. She also asserted that Ben Gvir is a former agent of the Shin Bet security service.
Ben Gvir had sought NIS 250,000 ($73,000) in damages.
As part of the settlement, Gilat also published an apology on her Facebook page.
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