Channel 13 news airs a recording from 2018 of Prime Minister Netanyahu calling his right-wing rival Naftali Bennett “a little dog.”
The recording was made by Nir Hefetz, a former Netanyahu aide who later turned state’s witness in a series of graft cases that the premier was indicted in, according to the network.
The recorded conversation between Netanyahu and Hefetz was reportedly held after Bennett, who was then the education minister, criticized the prime minister following the police recommendation in February 2018 that he face criminal charges.
Hefetz: “By the way, Bennett really came out a loser.”
Netanyahu: “Yeah, well, he’s a little dog.”
Hefetz: “Yeah.”
Netanyahu: “Are there any statements about him?”
Hefetz: “No, no, it’s nothing… he [Bennet] sent a message back to me. I didn’t call so as not to annoy you. He told me, ‘listen, we gave you a big break, don’t start with us, we also know how to fight.”
Netanyahu: “So what?”
Hefetz: “(Laughs). Alright. it’s stupid. You know what, it’s stupid.”
Netanyahu: “Yeah.”
Hefetz: “The correct political consideration for him is to be quiet, to do what [Moshe] Kahlon does.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, center, and Nir Hefetz, left, arrive at the weekly cabinet meeting held in the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, December 13, 2009. (Yossi Zamir/Flash90)
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