From the Liveblog of
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Opposition leaders among politicians condemning firing of flares at Netanyahu’s home
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The firing of a pair of flares at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea draws condemnations from across the political spectrum.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid and National Unity chairman Benny Gantz both issue statements condemning the incident and calling for law enforcement to “bring the guilty to justice.”
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, meanwhile, declares that “the incitement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu crosses all boundaries” and that this evening’s incident “crosses another red line.”
“Today it’s a flare and tomorrow it’s live fire,” he says, calling for a halt to “the incitement against Netanyahu and his family.”
The Shin Bet and police say that a pair of flares fired at Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea landed in the house’s yard. No damage was caused and a joint statement from the security bodies stresses Netanyahu and his family weren’t home at the time.
Echoing Ben Gvir, Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf states that the incident “is a direct result of the wild incitement against the Israeli government and its leader, which has been sweeping the country in recent months” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich insists that “violence is eroding the foundation of Israeli democracy.”
“The law enforcement authorities and the security establishment must come to their senses and act before it is too late,” Smotrich tweets.
“The writing was on the walls, on the roads, in inflammatory posts and in demonstrations,” weighs in Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
“The shooting at the Prime Minister’s house tonight is a direct result of a policy that for the past few years has ignored the escalation in words and deeds,” Ohana declares — accusing the attorney general and justice system of having “accustomed us to the fact that there are those for whom things are permitted and those for whom they are prohibited.”
“If they don’t wake up now, immediately, it may already be too late,” he says.
The Times of Israel Community.