From the Liveblog of
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Bennett kept Lapid in dark about demolition of terror suspect’s home – report
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett did not update Foreign Minister Yair Lapid before the West Bank home of a Palestinian-American terror suspect was demolished this morning, Channel 13 news reports.
The razing of Muntasir Shalabi’s house drew a rare condemnation from the US Embassy, with a spokesperson saying “the home of an entire family should not be demolished for the actions of one individual.”
Shalabi is suspected of killing 19-year-old student Yehuda Guetta during a terror attack in May.
According to the report, Lapid’s office reached out to Bennett’s office and asked why it wasn’t updated, saying the Foreign Ministry could have prepared and attempted to soften criticism from the US.
Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office say it is not the job of the premier’s aides or the National Security Council to provide updates on such matters.
“Years of government neglect caused the communication and coordination system between the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry and Prime Minister’s Office to not function properly. We are now fixing and arranging everything,” a statement on Lapid’s behalf said.
The statement added: “It will take a little longer but thanks to the good relations between Prime Minister Bennett and Ministers Lapid and Gantz, the reporting and coordination mechanisms are improving every day.”
