Yesterday, Israel heard the dramatic announcement that Boaz Bismuth would be leaving his position as the paper’s senior editor. The widow of American Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who died exactly a year ago, inherited his vast empire, which included Israel’s most circulated newspaper. Miriam Adelson had nothing but kind words for Bismuth, who “secured a record number of interviews with former US President Donald Trump and gave readers reliable, high-quality reporting.”

Her mention of Trump offered appropriate framing for Bismuth’s departure as an important political move for the Israeli right.

The paper, which was founded in 2007, identified with Netanyahu from day one. For years, Sheldon Adelson was one of the people closest to Netanyahu. He was also one of the most influential people in the US Republican Party and a major donor to the campaigns of Trump and Mitt Romney. When Trump was in office, Adelson was famous for his influence on the White House, including its decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Bismuth, Israel Hayom's second editor, is also considered one of the people closest to Netanyahu. His departure was accompanied by rumors that Miriam Adelson now wants to shift the paper’s editorial line from Netanyahu to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, with whom she has recently become closer. As such, Bismuth's replacement at the paper’s helm is a major political story.