âď¸ RONEN BAR MOVES TO SUE NETANYAHU FOR DEFAMATION, SEEKS OCT. 7 RECORDS; IMMUNITY MAY BLOCK CASE: Bar, meanwhile, instructed his lawyers to file a defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu, according to a statement issued on his behalf. He is demanding immediate disclosure of testimony, documents and Netanyahuâs meeting schedules concerning information provided before October 7, including contacts with security officials and foreign officials.
Barâs statement accused Netanyahu of an âunrestrained campaign of incitement,â selectively publishing documents and misrepresenting their context, refusing for three years to acknowledge responsibility, and obstructing a state commission of inquiry. It alleged that Netanyahu ignored Barâs unprecedented warnings of an impending disaster and recommendations to restore deterrence and strengthen the border, and is now attacking him as evidence of those warnings emerges.
The statement said Bar had waited for a commission of inquiry but could no longer allow the alleged falsehoods to continue. He intends to summon Netanyahuâs staff and aides whom he accuses of assisting the campaign, alongside anyone who distorted documents or disseminated false and defamatory information about him. Segal assessed that the lawsuit was unlikely to be heard because Netanyahuâs immunity, under the case law he cited, generally covers statements made in the course of official duties.
đłď¸ Ultra-Orthodox government conditions and possible abstentions: Amit Segal reported, citing senior Agudat Yisrael officials, that chairman MK Yitzhak Goldknopf would abstain rather than oppose an Eisenkot-led minority government, as part of a break with Netanyahuâs bloc. Gur community sources said its two MKs, Goldknopf and Yaakov Tesler, would not oppose such a government. Those sources believe the rest of Agudat Yisrael and ultimately Degel HaTorah would follow, but Segal stressed that he did not know whether either would do so.
Goldknopf said Agudat Yisrael would neither support the formation of a government nor provide outside support without securing yeshiva studentsâ status and passing a conscription law with no sanctions or enlistment quotas. UTJ chairman MK Yaakov Asher said none of the partyâs factions would support or join a government unless Torah studentsâ status was formally settled. He said the party follows the leading Torah sagesâ directives and is not seeking to bring down or crown anyone, or acting out of revenge.
Segal attributed Gurâs reported position to hopes of receiving something in return and deep anger toward Netanyahu. He said its leadership wants to signal that Netanyahuâs time is up and that the Gerrer Rebbe considers him politically finished. Segal suggested this could help explain Eisenkotâs repeated references to ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties as potential sources of political support.
Segal also noted that Rabbi Hirsch had called the previous day for preventing the âleftâ from gaining strength. While some interpreted this politically, Segal said the term can also refer in ultra-Orthodox discourse to the Sitra Achra, the mystical âOther Sideâ associated with impurity and evil.
In Segalâs assessment, the reported abstentions could mean that a 54â54 tie between Netanyahuâs and Eisenkotâs blocs would no longer ensure that an Eisenkot government could be blocked. Under his scenario, Netanyahuâs bloc would need a two-seat advantage.
Winter said Goldknopf had never belonged to the right-wing camp and that Am Yisrael would lead a broad right-wing government without depending on him. Gantz called for a cross-bloc Zionist government, warning that the alternatives were another narrow government dependent on âdraft dodgersâ or Arab parties, or another election.
In a separate dispute, the Joint List accused Raâam candidate Segalovich of joining a âfascist incitement campaign against the Arab voteâ following his remarks about Abu Shehadeh.
đ Know someone who would appreciate these updates? Please pass this along.
đ¨ď¸ Join the discussion, read on web & subscribe by email: https://www.israelrealtime.com/p/subscribe