‘Israelis elect government, no one else,’ says top official, hitting back at US report suggesting PM’s coalition may be in jeopardy

A senior Israeli official hits back at a US intelligence report overnight that warned Israel will be challenged by Hamas for years to come, and that the viability of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government “may be in jeopardy” amid criticism over the management of the war.

“Those who elect the prime minister of Israel are the citizens of Israel and no one else,” says the official in a statement issued to the media, interpreting the intelligence report as an effort to unseat Netanyahu.

“Israel is not a protectorate of the US but rather an independent and democratic country whose citizens are the ones who elect the government. We expect our friends to work to bring down the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel,” the official says.

Opening its main nightly news broadcast, Israel’s Channel 12 says the statement came from “the most senior Israeli political source you can imagine.”

It says the new US intel report suggesting Netanyahu may lose power has the prime minister “fuming” and he has “decided to embark upon on strong, public and dramatic confrontation with the president of the United States.”

The US assessment last night read: “Distrust of Netanyahu’s ability to rule has deepened and broadened across the public from its already high levels before the war, and we expect large protests demanding his resignation and new elections. A different, more moderate government is a possibility.”