Eyebrows raised as PM’s surgeon appointed to board of state-owned arms maker
MK warns of ‘political slant’ in selection of Alon Pikarsky, a Netanyahu ally who wrote opinion clearing troops of sodomizing Palestinian inmate, and attested to premier’s health
Prof. Alon Pikarsky, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s surgeon and confidant, has been appointed to the board of directors of the state-owned Rafael arms manufacturer despite an apparent lack of qualifications, journalist Uri Misgav has reported.
Misgav, a Haaretz columnist and anti-Netanyahu activist, said Pikarsky’s appointment ran counter to Rafael’s bylaws, which say that people affiliated with government ministers must show “extraordinary qualifications” to become directors.
Labor MK Naama Lazimi said the appointment reeked of “political slant and harm to the independent discretion of government companies’ directorates, especially in the sensitive area of the defense industry.”
The lawmaker’s letter, dated Wednesday, was addressed to Judge (emeritus) Shulamit Dotan, head of the government’s vetting committee, which cleared Pikarsky before he was appointed. Additional copies were sent to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem. The latter, who controls the Government Companies Authority, approved Pikarsky’s appointment.
The Marker, Haaretz’s business daily, said that with Pikarsky’s appointment, six of Rafael’s 11 directors were allied with Amsalem or Netanyahu, including the chairman, former finance minister Yuval Steinitz. The economic newspaper noted that the company, which manufactures advanced defense systems such as the Iron Done, has seen its earnings soar amid the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Pikarsky, whose wife has operated on Netanyahu’s wife Sara, has allied himself with the couple politically and personally. On Sunday, Misgav shared undated footage of Netanyahu speaking at Pikarsky’s birthday party. Amsalem could be seen sitting in the audience.
According to Misgav, Pikarsky has written medical reports minimizing problems with Netanyahu’s health and acted as the prime minister’s attack dog against anti-government groups in the medical community that took part in the 2023 protests against the government’s planned judicial overhaul.
Pikarsky has also weighed in on the July 29 arrest of reservists suspected of sodomizing a Palestinian inmate at Sde Teiman detention facility. After footage of the arrest circulated on social media, the site was stormed by a right-wing mob, including a lawmaker from Netanyahu’s Likud party.
In a medical opinion dated August 8, Pikarsky said the inmate’s severe wounds were self-inflicted.
The White Labcoats group of anti-government doctors excoriated Pikarsky for issuing an opinion without examining the inmate or citing evidence. Pikarsky was also criticized for printing the opinion on stationery of Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, where he is a top surgeon.
On Wednesday, Misgav wrote that Pikarsky had been summoned to a hearing before the Health Ministry’s ethics committee over the Sde Teiman opinion.
