Remember the days when every move in the Prime Minister’s Office was a reason to send us to stand under a lintel, and also a sensational evidence of the madness and labor relations in the aquarium that runs the country?
So here is the proof that when a tree falls in the forest of media and politics in Israel, it does not have to make noise, especially if this tree is called Klugeft - and the forest is called Naftali Bennett.
But to understand what happened, and how dramatic it may be, it may be worth pointing out another unprecedented achievement of the change government: it not only set a record for violating core promises made before the election, it also unhesitatingly violates an extra-core commitment made with the coalition. , And she - we will not deal with the areas in dispute, we will concentrate only on what is in the consensus.
Well, here is an issue that is not only controversial, but also considered a rift that defines the concepts of right and left in Israel, and has been at the center of our political debate for generations: the Israeli-Arab conflict in general, and the Palestinian issue in particular.
The change government is not just warming up political engines - it is already shifting into fourth, if not fifth, gear.
The current Minister of Foreign Affairs and Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, presents himself as the architect of Israel's new foreign relations.
Make no mistake: these are not trade agreements with Andorra or scientific collaborations with Denmark.
This is a new strategic-political approach to the State of Israel, with a clear orientation to a comprehensive political move with the Palestinians as well.
Bennett on the eve of the election.
Sometimes media and political strategists have impossible clients, Photo: Yossi Zeliger
Bennett met with the King of Jordan, Gantz met with Abu Mazen, Bennett traveled to Washington and then to Egypt, during which time Lapid shifted his diplomatic focus to the comfort zone of the EU and Scandinavia - turning his back on countries like Poland.
This is a political activism that is going in a clear and not necessarily denied direction: Israel wants to present a different face, willing to compromise, attentive to proposals, open to initiatives.
The political status quo is about to change radically.
This is the setting for the political drama that has been going on here very recently, without any of us hearing a "boom" or "breaking" on Twitter or Telegram, and certainly not in the editions or investigative programs.
How was a story born?
Political strategist Moshe Klughaft, one of the most prominent in Israel, has a very long mileage with Naftali Bennett.
At least a decade.
He accompanied him on his meteoric rise in the Jewish home, and has played a key role in Bennett's political success over the past decade.
In recent years, he has provided services to additional customers, and at one point was even employed by Netanyahu.
Not long after the formation of the government of change, Klugeft's great moment arrived: he was invited to the Bennett Chamber, delicately crossed the threshold of the aquarium and joined the Holy of Holies of Israeli politics - as a strategic adviser to the Prime Minister's Office.
Moshe Klughaft, Photo: Meir Partosh
Given his skills in the media, image design and public opinion recruitment, Klugeft was given a heavy but creative potential task: to create a Levant story, to build a new narrative for a man who has erased his past and is now building his political persona almost from scratch.
He was given an empty mold in the form of a prime minister that needed to be filled with content, that is, to create a personality, a story and anchors of support for it.
Tabula Rasa - a smooth board waiting to be painted - but already hanging in a museum.
The goal: to repair the damage done to Bennett and Lemina, following the denial of each and every one of his promises and the turning of the home front to the political camp in which he grew up.
In terms of applied politics, the expectation from Klugeft was clear: to significantly increase public support for Bennett at Netanyahu's expense.
Or in other words: increasing Bennett's seats in the polls - and lowering Netanyahu's seats.
There is talk that the number was probably 15:15 seats for Bennett - and 15 for the Likud.
These are the numbers that Bennett is referring to, who is gradually beginning to understand what was clear as day to day for every decent citizen in Israel: without a solid and broad electorate there is no moral, administrative, leadership and political authority to lead moves, not even to impose authority on government ministers.
The main thing is PR
But Klugeft did not arrive at an empty aquarium. During the bureau's time, another fish swam: Shimrit Meir, the political adviser to the prime minister. Until a few minutes ago, she had a column and a Twitter anchor that was mostly appreciated by the brass. In the world of decision makers and policy makers it has had no significant weight, and it has left no mark on establishments engaged in planning and strategy design. She is a middle-class commentator, with no recognized knowledge authority or substantive experience, but she likes Twitter - and in the PR government of Lapid and Bennett, this is the main cartoon. Yes, even when it comes to the political, security and strategic fate of the State of Israel.
In the Netanyahu era, it should be noted, the appointment of a figure like her would have raised eyebrows, if not inflated the veins of the foreheads among political commentators.
Not just because of inexperience, but mainly because of the harsh, not to say offensive, words she hurled at President Biden.
Among other things, she referred to his poor level of performance and ridicule for his age, citing his meeting with Golda Meir as an illustration of his irrelevance.
I wonder what this means for her judgment, and it is no less interesting to ask all those who attacked Netanyahu, following the video in which he allegedly mockingly imitated Biden, how they think the White House's professional opinion of the Israeli prime minister on the American president is perceived in the White House.
In any case, despite her non-diplomatic language and poor practical experience, Shimrit Meir turned out to be a very active adviser.
It not only advises, it actually outlines policy.
She is the living spirit behind the advancement of political meetings, she is the one who shapes the "new approach" that is blowing from Israel and she is the one who is pushing Bennett in a new political direction.
Mission Impossible
On the face of it, she and Klugeft are supposed to be a professional pairing from heaven: Shimrit Meir outlines the political line, Moshe Klugeft will shape the conscious-marketing-political line.
They are supposedly supposed to complement each other, and that is each other.
But in the reality of the aquarium, Klugeft soon realized which of the two was the dominant and closest to Bennett's ear - and it was not him.
The fresh and energetic adviser overtook the veteran and loyal adviser in the degree of closeness to Bennett.
This tension intensified as the days went by, especially when it became clear that Bennett's public status was not improving.
There may have been an understanding that Klugeft was unable to meet the task - although from an objective point of view, it was an impossible task.
Yes, there are political products that cannot be sold, and sometimes it happens that media and political strategists have impossible clients.
The bottom line is that Bennett is not rising.
Not in public opinion, not in the polls and not in his position within the government.
He started and remained prime minister of the six seats, baseless and lacking any future leverage in front of coalition members.
So Klugeft is gone, and his departure is a symbol that the image restoration project has failed, and may have been doomed to failure in the first place.
But his departure also symbolizes the power of the counselor.
The bureau already understands, and gradually the public will also understand.
This is the woman closest to Naftali Bennett, and the most powerful in the aquarium.
You have no idea who she is and what her skills are, but you should start getting used to it - Shimrit will navigate.
And the most troubling question of all is: navigate where?
