From the Liveblog of
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Likud, National Unity parties exchange insults and claims of faulty memories
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Benny Gantz’s National Unity party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud exchange insults prompted by former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen’s claim that the premier once asked him to spy on senior government officials.
In an interview broadcast by Kan news on Tuesday, Cohen said Netanyahu had asked him in 2011 to monitor government ministers and top defense officials to ensure they were not leaking information.
Responding to the interview, Gantz, who served as IDF chief of staff between 2011-2015, described a “toxic and suspicious attitude by the prime minister during the period that [the former Shin Bet chief] spoke about.”
Hitting back at the opposition politician, Netanyahu’s Likud party released a statement saying “Gantz’s deteriorating memory is worrying,” given that he had himself accused the Shin Bet of “defaming the political echelon” in a letter to Netanyahu in 2014.
“Netanyahu’s deteriorating cognitive ability is extremely disturbing,” National Unity responds. “The tension between the IDF and the Shin Bet at the end of 2014 is not related to Netanyahu’s attempt three years earlier to spy on the heads of security services.
“We suggest that Netanyahu work on the lies and sharpen his memory in preparation for taking the witness stand next week,” the party quips, referring to Netanyahu’s upcoming testimony in his ongoing criminal trial.
