Bennett Slams Likud Over 'Cult of Rapists' Membership Drive
Translated & summarized from Channel 13 by baba
Former PM Naftali Bennett accused the Likud party of enlisting members from a radical cult in Yavne'el that practices underage marriage, calling it a "cult of rapists." A report revealed alleged vote-buying and registration without consent, while a Knesset committee discussed the ongoing issue of underage marriages in the community.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Naftali Bennett condemned Likud's alleged recruitment from a cult practicing underage marriage.
- The cult reportedly receives state funding and engages in forced marriages of minors.
- Recruitment allegedly involved food vouchers and registration without consent.
- Bennett called the group a "cult of rapists" and accused Likud of corruption.
- A Knesset committee discussed underage marriages, with a mother sharing her daughter's story.
- Committee chair vowed to pursue all involved in the "mechanism of silence."
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has strongly condemned the Likud party for allegedly enlisting members from a radical cult in Yavne'el, which he described as a "Sodom and Gomorrah." Speaking a day after a Channel 13 report revealed the organized recruitment drive, Bennett stated that the cult systematically marries off girls aged 14-15, impregnates them, and then abandons them. He asserted that the cult receives funding from taxpayer money through educational institutions and benefits from government "turning a blind eye" to systematic law-breaking under the Netanyahu-Der'i-Ben Gvir government.
Bennett further alleged that the Likud's recruitment efforts, which reportedly involved offering food vouchers in exchange for membership, constitute "corruption on top of corruption." He argued that by facilitating this, the Likud is "legitimizing a cult of rapists for primary election purposes," as forced underage marriage is a form of rape due to the lack of free choice. Bennett vowed that his party, "The National Unity Party," would remove the current government and begin to rectify the situation.
The Channel 13 report detailed how many members of the cult were allegedly registered without their knowledge or consent, with various individuals signing forms on their behalf and promising food packages for holidays. Some women reportedly discovered their party membership only after the fact. In other instances, pre-filled forms with specific names were distributed, with instructions to place them directly into ballot boxes, allegedly to create a direct influence bloc within the ruling party for the cult's benefit.
Meanwhile, a Knesset committee on the advancement of women's status and gender equality held a follow-up discussion on underage marriages in Yavne'el. During the hearing, a 42-year-old woman named Dvora shared a photo of her 17-year-old daughter's wedding, taken from police documentation, stating that her daughter became pregnant two months after the ceremony. She expressed frustration that despite police action, a lack of indictments from the prosecution would render their efforts futile. The committee chair, MK Merav Cohen, acknowledged that this is likely just the "tip of the iceberg" and vowed to pursue all involved in the "mechanism of silence," including NGOs, educators, and wedding organizers, regardless of how long it takes.
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