Naftali Bennett
Naftali BennettKobi Gideon/GPO

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attended the weekly 'Yamina' faction meeting Monday, where he sought to reinforce his party's MKs who are facing harsh criticism.

"I want to tell you something from the heart. From the beginning we have faced a brutal fake news campaign. The opposition is raising populist bills, all the things they have neglected and feared to address for years," Bennett began.

"I understand how difficult and challenging it is on an emotional and personal level, but I ask you to look at reality, to lift your head up from Twitter," he said.

Bennett said the formation of the government was the right move. "The truth must be told - the formation of this government is an especially patriotic act. We should not apologize to anyone for anything. We would have reached another fifth and sixth elections and the rift in the people and the complete paralysis would have continued. We saved the State of Israel."

"There is no issue that we touch on and do not find neglect. Simply neglect as a way of life: from the Negev through housing prices to security. We are taking care of it. We need to look at most of the State of Israel who are more satisfied day by day. We need to stop trying to justify ourselves. It will not help. We should focus only on our actions," the prime minister added.

"I do not apologize because I have nothing to apologize for. I did not change my values. None of us did. Look what we have accomplished in four months, we got the country out of a tailspin, we got the country out of the Delta wave. Look what is happening in the world with the Delta wave. We advise the whole world on how to get out of this. This is a great thing for Israel's foreign relations. We are going to pass a budget with an unprecedented arrangements law. We are going through a process of intensification, of building the IDF force to an unprecedented extent, we are going to intensify in order to be above all our enemies. Let me tell you something - the money we saved by avoiding lockdowns will go to fortifying the security capabilities of the State of Israel for years. Billions. And I do not want to elaborate here."

What is our crime? That we have lowered prices for the public? That we are fighting Arab crime and have allocated NIS 2.5 billion for this purpose? That we are lowering the prices of carts, of bottles, of Milky?" The prime minister wondered.