Associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports that he is concerned about MK Tally Gotliv’s political strengthening and that he believes she “causes electoral damage to Likud,” sources close to the leader told Maariv on Monday.
The denial followed reports in recent days and Gotliv’s bombshell of an interview on Radio North 104.5 FM on Sunday.
Notably, this denial also followed a recent report that attributed to Netanyahu the statement that Likud is losing seats due to Gotliv’s activity, and that the question allegedly arose of how to address her political situation.
Netanyahu’s associates rejected the account, stating that no such conversation took place and that he did not express a position that Gotliv is harming the party.
At the same time, Likud figures noted that, ahead of the election, a broad internal discourse is emerging within the movement about the Likud slate’s public image and the need to present a stronger, higher-quality list. According to them, this is a general discussion concerning the composition of the next list and the messages the party seeks to convey to the public, and it is not focused on any particular individual.
‘No personal moves against Gotliv’
According to associates of Netanyahu, the prime minister has no intention of promoting personal moves against Gotliv; neither did he conduct a discussion whose aim was “to deal with her” or to weaken her.
“The claim that Netanyahu thinks she is harmful is simply not true,” said a source in his circle. “It does not reflect his position or conduct.”
Those close to Netanyahu are also saying that his anger towards the publication concerned the leak and the attempt to attribute to Netanyahu statements that were not made.
“It creates unnecessary noise and presents a distorted picture of what is happening in Likud,” said one of the sources. “In this case, there is no basis to the claims.”
Gotliv’s controversial radio interview
Gotliv was interviewed on Sunday by Gadi Nes on Radio North and addressed the threat of ballistic missiles from Iran, Israel’s deterrence policy, and the preparedness of the home front. She also detailed her battles with the judicial system and her sharp criticism of the attorney-general. However, it is her statements about her situation in Likud that stirred up a storm.
“The prime minister said that I am wonderful and that it’s a shame there aren’t more like me, okay? The prime minister likes to have around him brave and smart people who know what struggle lies ahead of us, a struggle against the unbridled power of the most senior government bureaucracy and the top of the judicial system,” Gotliv said.
According to her, this is a move that has not been carried out in recent decades. “I don’t think they did this within the last 15 years, because they did not understand the depth of the plot of the senior bureaucracy to take power from elected officials and transfer it to bureaucrats. That is the plot.”
Gotliv also expanded on her electoral power, right-wing governance, and her criticism of the system’s performance.
‘I bring voters to Likud’
“I am aware of my electoral power. As someone within the whole, I am a force that brings right-wing people; I am a force that brings voters to Likud. People say, ‘If you are in Likud, we will vote.’”
In addition, Gotliv said the right-wing public demands firm leadership.
“The right-wing public is wise, and it wants right-wing governance, and this will be possible only if you know how to conduct struggles, not if you appoint this or that accompanying investigator. We have a police commissioner, and he has a duty of loyalty upon him.”
Toward the end of the interview, Gotliv was critical of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.
“Many want the person who will be the head of the criminal prosecution in Israel to be an honest person, not a criminal. A criminal is someone who obstructs legal proceedings, who submits an affidavit to the High Court that there are no investigative actions to perform in a place where not even a single action was carried out. That is obstruction of proceedings.”