Bennett's Party Candidate Explains His Silence Amid Political Maneuvering
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Yonatan Shilo, set to be the youngest MK, has been silent in public due to a party strategy, according to Chananel Ben Shimon. Shilo, a former combat soldier and reservist, is the grandson of Gabriela Shalev and son of hi-tech entrepreneur Michal Tzur-Shilo. Bennett, who co-founded a company with Tzur-Shilo and joined her current firm, resigned from her company's board to avoid conflict of interest concerns over Shilo's Knesset candidacy.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yonatan Shilo's public silence is a deliberate party strategy, explained by Chananel Ben Shimon.
- Shilo is poised to become the youngest Member of Knesset in Israeli history.
- Bennett resigned from a company board to avoid conflict of interest concerns.
- Shilo's mother and Bennett have a long-standing business relationship.
- Shilo is a former combat soldier and reservist who served in Gaza and Lebanon.
Yonatan Shilo, poised to become the youngest Member of Knesset in Israel's history representing the "Achva" list led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, has been notably absent from public discourse. Chananel Ben Shimon, a former leader of the "Shoulder to Shoulder" reservists movement co-founded by Shilo, explained this silence on a radio program, stating it's a deliberate strategy by the party's leadership. Ben Shimon clarified that Shilo has not disappeared but that the party decided to let Avigdor Lieberman "burn himself out" by making controversial statements. He described Shilo as a "team player" who trusts Bennett's directives.
Shilo, 24, is a former fighter in the Maglan unit and an active reservist who served in Gaza and Lebanon during the "Swords of Iron" war. He gained public attention for co-founding "Shoulder to Shoulder," which advocated for equal military service burden and the enlistment of Haredim into the IDF. Shilo is the grandson of former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev and the late Lt. Col. Shaul Shilo, who fell in the Yom Kippur War. He is the son of historian Prof. Eran Shilo and hi-tech entrepreneur Dr. Michal Tzur-Shilo.
The connection between the Shilo family and Naftali Bennett extends beyond politics, stemming from a long-standing business relationship between Bennett and Yonatan's mother, Dr. Michal Tzur-Shilo. They co-founded the cybersecurity company Cyota in 1999, which was sold for approximately $145 million in 2005. Tzur-Shilo continued her successful business career, founding Cultura and leading hi-tech protests against the government. Bennett rejoined Tzur-Shilo's digital health company Remepy as a director in early 2024.
However, Shilo's placement on Bennett's Knesset list raised public questions and criticism regarding a potential conflict of interest due to Bennett's directorship in a company owned by Shilo's mother while promoting her son's political career. In response to the scrutiny, Bennett announced his immediate resignation from Remepy's board to avoid the appearance of impropriety ahead of his public and political activities.
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