Israeli envoy to US makes political comments defending Netanyahu, falsely claims PM on trial over submarine affair

Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter blasts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s opponents in an interview with conservative non-profit PragerU.

Members of the diplomatic corps are supposed to be non-political, and his comments marked a rare instance of an Israeli politician or diplomat publicly bashing political adversaries in English, which Netanyahu has also done and been castigated for in Israel.

Leiter accuses the prime minister’s political opponents, who are accusing Netanyahu of prolonging the war in Gaza for political reasons, of “blood libel.”

“I’ve known the prime minister for 40 years. He’s a sensitive man who cares about people. What kind of insanity is that? How dare they say something as malicious as that? He wants the war to end in victory because he carries the weight of the Jewish people on his shoulders.”

Leiter also dismisses the criminal charges against Netanyahu.

“The charges are crumbling like a deck of cards. They just built these sand castles. The idea was to tire him to the point where he’d break. He’s not breaking.”

He also falsely claims that Netanyahu was in court over the so-called submarine affair corruption case, the week he was planning an operation in Lebanon. Netanyahu was questioned by police in connection with the deal, and several of his close associates were indicted for their involvement in the negotiations, but the prime minister himself was not charged and is not standing trial over the scandal.

“He was in court the week that he was planning the operation in Lebanon. Over what accusation? That we ordered submarines from Germany and why was it from Germany and not from elsewhere? And these are all trumped-up charges. It has to stop,” Leiter falsely claims.