At an emergency party meeting convened earlier today after the surprise defection of Yamina MK Idit Silman, members of Naftali Bennett’s own party reportedly tore into the prime minister for use of the phrase “West Bank” last month.
“It can’t be that you used the phrase ‘West Bank,'” MK Nir Orbach reportedly told Bennett at the party meeting, according to Hebrew media reports of leaks. “It has nothing to do with the other parties in the coalition, it’s paying a price in our own ideological home, you put me in an impossible situation.”
Right-wing figures reject the use of the term “West Bank,” which refers to the area as the western bank of the Jordan River, and instead use the phrase Judea and Samaria, the biblical term for the region.
Bennett, a former settler leader, used the phrase at a press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last month.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, April 6, 2022
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
