Bennett’s UN speech ‘will be different than Netanyahu’s,’ says PM’s office

Bennett is abandoning previously successful policies simply because they are “tainted” by the legacy of his predecessor, the Likud said.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not be modeling his upcoming address to the United Nations based on the speeches of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bennett’s office said in a statement on Thursday.

“The speech will be different than the style of Netanyahu’s speeches,” read the statement. “There will not be visual aids, poster boards, drawings, and the like.”

The remark appeared to be a direct jab at Netanyahu, who utilized a cartoon illustration of a bomb while delivering a 2012 speech to the U.N. focused on the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program.

Images of Netanyahu gripping the poster while pointing to the bomb’s fuse quickly went viral, with many alterations of the original picture becoming fodder for internet memes.

The statement from Bennett’s office emphasizing that his speech will be conducted differently from Netanyahu’s is indicative of Bennett’s obsession to distinguish himself from his predecessor, the Likud wrote on Twitter.

Netanyahu’s party said that Bennett’s “obsession” with forging his own path distinctive from that of the former premier is endangering the country.

“Instead of ridiculously attacking Prime Minister Netanyahu’s many successful speeches at the UN, Bennett should read these speeches carefully and take note of how to capture the attention of the world and mobilize it for the interests of the State of Israel,” Likud wrote on Twitter.

By focusing on doing things differently than Netanyahu, the party said, Bennett is abandoning previously successful policies simply because they are “tainted” by the legacy of his predecessor.

“Bennett’s obsession with differentiating himself from Netanyahu is costing the State of Israel dearly in the struggle against the coronavirus, the struggle against the Iranian nuclear threat and the political struggle against the Palestinians,” the party stated.

“If Bennett had been as obsessed with COVID as he was with Netanyahu, he would not have delayed two months in bringing the vaccines that Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered for the citizens of Israel, thus preventing the tragic deaths of many of the 1,200 Israelis who died an unnecessary death from COVID.”