Netanyahu’s spokesman steps down, admits to racist remarks about Mizrahi Jews and attacks on PM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman Ziv Agmon announces he is stepping down after racist comments he made against Mizrahi Jews and attacks on Netanyahu himself were aired last night.

In a statement released by Netanyahu’s office, Agmon acknowledges that the quotes are real, but claims they are taken out of context.

“Over the past week, a person with whom I had a long-standing friendly relationship decided to pass on partial quotes from our private conversations,” he says. “The vast majority of these conversations took place even before I entered my role in the Prime Minister’s Office. The quotes that were shared were taken out of context, and their sole purpose was to carry out a character assassination against me and harm the prime minister whom I serve.”

He says the reports about him do not represent him or his values, and that allegations of racism against Jews of Moroccan origin are “ridiculous in light of the fact that my immediate family has Moroccan roots.”

“The attempt to take fragments of sentences from personal and private conversations—most of them from years ago—make them public, and present them as current and official positions of the speaker must be condemned,” he says, while apologizing to anyone who was hurt by the statements.

He says that he joined Netanyahu’s office to serve behind the scenes, but since he is now in the limelight and “a divisive public discourse had formed around me,” he has informed Netanyahu that he is stepping down.

“I wish to express my deep appreciation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” he writes. “The great privilege of my life has been to assist him in these historic days, alongside Mrs. Sara Netanyahu, whose steadfast support strengthens the prime minister and the entire office.”