Netanyahu either incompetent or complicit in leak: Lapid
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Yair Lapid says Benjamin Netanyahu is "not qualified" to lead the occupation during the war on Gaza.
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Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid attends a weekly cabinet in occupied al-Quds on September 18, 2022. (AP)
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid has stated that Netanyahu's actions throughout the recent leak indicate he is either too incompetent to lead during wartime or is "complicit in one of the most serious security offenses."
The office of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released Friday a statement refuting claims of any staff members being arrested in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Shin Bet, Israeli occupation forces (IOF), and the Israeli police into the leak of classified intelligence, Israeli media reported.
Lapid declared in a press conference with Benny Gantz immediately after the Rishon Letzion Magistrates Court removed a gag order on naming Eliezer Feldstein, the main suspect in an alleged leak, that “Netanyahu’s defense is that he has no influence or control over the system he heads. If that’s true, he’s ineligible. He is not qualified to lead the State of Israel in the most difficult war in its history."
"This case came out of the prime minister’s office, and the investigation should check if it was not on the prime minister’s orders. If Netanyahu knew, he is complicit in one of the most serious security offenses in the law book,” Lapid stated.
According to the opposition leader, if Netanyahu had no clue his aides were "stealing documents, operating spies within the IDF, forging documents, exposing intelligence sources and passing secret documents to foreign newspapers" to stop a captive agreement, then what was he aware of?
Israeli media have indicated that investigators are examining four distinct aspects of the case: the leak of classified documents, granting an advisor without security clearance access to restricted meetings and offices, mishandling of classified materials, and utilizing these documents to sway public opinion regarding a captives agreement.
Lapid questioned how Netanyahu had no idea the person he was bringing "as part of his closest entourage" into the cabinet room had not received a security clearance from the Shin Bet.
Netanyahu has already indicated that he was ignorant of the Mount Meron crisis or anything related to submarine matters, Lapid continued, referring to two past scandals. "Now he claims that he does not know what his office is doing while Israel is in the midst of an existential war."
Gantz, a former member of Netanyahu's war cabinet, indicated that before his party's resignation from the government, he warned that political agendas had penetrated Israeli security. He claimed that evidence now backs up this assertion, adding that the scenario includes more than simply a suspicion of leaks, but also the exploitation of state secrets for political purposes. Gantz defined the theft of vital security information for political objectives as both a "criminal and a national crime."
He emphasized that the issue should not focus on the consequences of the leaked information or who is responsible for the leaks but rather that any theft or leak of classified intelligence by someone in the PM's office is a "black line, period."
He noted that sensitive information regarding captive negotiations had been leaked at critical times and called for the urgent establishment of a "state commission of inquiry" into the events of October 7.
Netanyahu office investigation into leak leads to several arrests
According to Judge Menachem Mizrahi, authorities commenced the "open phase" of their joint investigation this past week, targeting a potential breach of "national security" due to the leaked information.
Mizrahi highlighted the severity of the suspected leak, stating it potentially jeopardized "Israel's" war efforts. While details remain restricted, the judge noted, "Several suspects were arrested for questioning, and the investigation is ongoing."
In September, the IOF began investigating the leak of sensitive documents to international media outlets, including the German newspaper Bild and the British publication The Jewish Chronicle.
These documents, which reportedly originated from Hamas, included claims suggesting that the Resistance movement aimed to deepen divisions within Israeli society and was not actively seeking a quick resolution to the ongoing war.
Notably, these claims closely echoed statements made by Netanyahu in interviews and press conferences around the same period.
The Jewish Chronicle later withdrew a series of articles based on the documents and ended its collaboration with the author amid significant concerns about the authenticity of his reporting.
According to the IOF, the document cited by Bild was discovered in Gaza months prior and was not authored by martyred Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar but rather appeared to be a strategic paper drawn up by a mid-level Hamas official.
