Shas minister says comments on Netanyahu needing to call election after war were ‘taken out of context’

The Shas minister who said he believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have no option other than calling elections within 90 days of the end of the Israel-Hamas war issues a statement claiming his words were misrepresented.

“My words were taken out of context. In response to the usual question about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s responsibility, I wanted to say that this is not the time to deal with this and that after the war, Netanyahu himself will lead the investigation,” Labor Minister Yoav Ben-Tzur says.

“In any case, [the comments] do not represent the position of the Shas movement, which is determined by the Council of Sages and is presented only by the chairman of the movement. In war, you don’t talk about politics and I made a mistake in my judgment,” he says.