Netanyahu mocks claims he was responsible for B’Tselem electrical fire

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mocks today those who rushed to blame him for last night’s fire at B’Tselem’s offices in Jerusalem.

At a Likud faction meeting in the Knesset today, he lists recent successes in the security forces’ fight against the wave of Palestinian terror attacks, then turns his attention to his opponents.

“And I look at the opposition,” he begins. “What does the opposition do at a time like this, while we are in the throes of a war against terror? They put out an ad campaign. They’re determined to chatter. That’s what they do. Chatter.”

He continues: “Sometimes it reaches comic proportions. For example, yesterday there was a fire unfortunately in the offices of B’Tselem in Jerusalem. Our opponents rushed to condemn, even before the flames were extinguished. Before the fire investigators even arrived at the scene, left-wing MKs and NGO heads charged that I and the national camp were directly responsible for the fire.

He then offered quotes from left-wing activists and lawmakers.

“This is what Peace Now CEO Yariv Oppenheimer said yesterday: ‘The arson in B’Tselem’s offices was an attempted terror attack that only by a miracle did not lead to the loss of human life, and those responsible for it were government ministers led by Benjamin Netanyahu.’

MK Zehava Galon added: “Netanyahu is the ‘baron’ of incitement, hate and fire.”

And head of the Joint (Arab) List, MK Ayman Odeh said that: “The source of the fire started tonight in the offices of B’Tselem is the government and its leader.”

“Well, I don’t know if there was arson involved,” the prime minister said. “All signs point to an electrical short, but maybe they will still blame me for the short. I won’t be surprised.”