Attorney Ofer Bartel, a former candidate for the High Court of Justice and the state prosecution, told Israel’s Channel 12 news on Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was an Iranian spy, in comments that sparked outrage.
Bartel’s incendiary remarks arose from recent interviews in which Netanyahu would not commit to adhering the High Court’s decisions regarding the recently passed sp-called reasonableness law.
“I think, and forgive me for being blunt, I think Bibi is an Iranian spy,” Bartel said.
“If there’s anything that harms the country’s security, economy, society, and every other basic thing in the country, it’s the prime minister. The damage done is so much more harmful than if Iranian rockets were falling here,” he added.
His comments were met with immediate denunciation from the other studio participants. Journalist Yaron Avraham countered, “He’s not an Iranian spy. Not even close.” Host Rafi Reshef admonished Bartel, stating, “It damages your claim. Let it go. It would have been better if you hadn’t made your claim.”
After the broadcast, Bartel took to Facebook to clarify his statement. “It was obviously not a great formulation because it’s clear to everyone that he isn’t,” Bartel wrote, according to a translation of his remarks by The Jerusalem Post.
“I said those words as a metaphor alone because of the heavy damage that in my opinion he is doing to the Holy Land and its citizens groaning under his leadership.”
