Netanyahu slams Gantz over Iran phone hack: ‘What are you hiding?’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Blue and White party is driving the new revelations in the submarine graft case because it is panicking in the wake of the Iranian phone hacking scandal.

At a press conference held at his Jerusalem residence, Netanyahu says his main election rivals reached a “new low” by advertising the submarine case, despite police determining there was “nothing wrong” in his conduct.

“How can you as a prime minister confront Iran, our number 1 enemy, when it has sensitive content about you,” he says. “It’s not gossip, it’s a matter of national security.”

Netanyahu goes on to accuse Gantz of poor judgment, and calls on him to publicly reveal what was on his phone.

“You hid info from the members of your party, maybe you think you could hide it from citizens of Israel, too,” he said. “Israel needs a strong leader who can’t be blackmailed.”

Earlier, Blue and White asked the Central Elections Committee to prevent Netanyahu from holding a campaign event at the Prime Minister’s Office citing electioneering laws, but the chairman rejected the request.