Netanyahu condemns violence against campaign event by ‘irrelevant’ Sa’ar

Prime Minister says he condemns violence by Likud party activists who crashed a campaign event by New Hope party leader Gideon Sa’ar. At the same time, Netanyahu sarcastically swipes at Sa’ar, calling him “irrelevant.”

“I condemn all violence against all candidates, and especially against irrelevant candidates like Gideon Sa’ar,” the prime minister says in an interview with the Religious Zionist website Kipa.

Sa’ar, a former Likud party stalwart, on Saturday night had accused Netanyahu supporters of disrupting a party event by throwing objects at participants, including stones and eggs. One person was injured.

He shared video that showed people carrying Likud flags arguing with his supporters and calling him a traitor, apparently outside the meeting.

Sa’ar blamed Netanyahu for the violence and reiterated his campaign pledge to oust Netanyahu from office in the upcoming elections on March 23.

“Netanyahu has completely lost it. Bibi, I’m not afraid of you! In another ten days I’ll replace you,” Sa’ar wrote on Facebook, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname.

A day later, another New Hope candidate, Ofer Berkovitch, was violently confronted by Likud activists as he campaigned in the capital’s Mahane Yehuda market.