It appears that congratulations are in order for 49-year old Naftali Bennett who appears primed to be Israel’s new Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett. Bennett is a proud Israeli, a proud Jew and a great choice to be the new leader of the Jewish state.
I am so proud of and happy for my friend Naftali Bennett.
Since he’s not a liberal, worldwide media won’t fawn over him. Yet, in an era where Israel is constantly under attack by the world, it’s a great symbol for the Jewish state to have this man lead the country who wears a yarmulke, served in the elite Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Sayeret Matkal unit, and is a self-made millionaire.
A stalwart nationalist, traditional Jew, he is a bright young energetic leader who brings new hope to the State of Israel. Bennett has values and a good Jewish soul.
As he recently said: “Israel has belonged to the Jewish people for over 3,800 years and it’s our home. It’s always been our home. Sometimes when we talk about potential concessions, people talk about security and other considerations, but first and foremost it’s ours.”
He understands Public Relations – and has been great at discussing Brand Israel and a brilliant spokesperson for Israel. Born to parents who immigrated to Israel from America, he speaks perfect English. He has already shown a great ability on foreign networks and as he recently said to worldwide media, “All of Israel is one three-hundredth of the size of the United States. All of the Land of Israel is a tiny, tiny state, which is sort of a little island in an ocean of Islamic and Arab nations. So whoever talks about severing it is taking this little crumb and cutting it into two, which is unacceptable.”
He has said “Israel is protecting the world” – Simple great language.
Bennett has noted, “Because of the amount of media exposure to Israel you might think Israel is a huge country, something similar to the United States. The reality is, it’s the size of New Jersey. It’s tiny. If you ride from one side to another of pre-1967 Israel, it’s about a 10 minute ride from the Mediterranean to the Green Line. All in all from one side to another it’s an hour if you include Judea and Samaria, aka, the “territories.” One hour is all it takes from Tel Aviv to the Jordan valley. That’s how narrow Israel is.”
These words show a unique understanding of the place Israel holds in the media worldwide. It matters in today’s world.
Bennett understands diplomacy, he understands security, he understands public relations, he is also the rare political leader with real business experience. In a time when social justice and economic matters are vital in Israel, his story is a beautiful success story. As a self-made millionaire entrepreneur, he can lead by example – as he showed as founder of Cyota which sold at the age of 33 for $145 million.
With a leader like Naftali Bennett, Israel’s government can shine as the Start-Up Nation of the world. What a fitting time for Bennett to lead Israel when there are so many young people in Israel doing so many great things. That’s a real start-up nation.Bennett understands both the religious and secular world – and can uniquely bridge the gap between the religious and secular in Israel with a unique understandings of both worlds.
In many ways, Bennett is the perfect face of the Start-Up Nation, the son of American immigrants, he served in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces, then became an entrepreneur and sold the company he co-founded for $145 Million Dollars.
Then, he decided to make a difference for Israel – and it appears he can become e the new Prime Minister. Congratulations to Naftali Bennett. May he have great success for the State of Israel.
