Israeli Opposition Accuses Netanyahu of Plotting Assassinations

Israeli Opposition Leader Accuses Netanyahu of Plotting Assassinations

Lapid stands before screenshot of social media assassination threat ([screenshot])

By Richard Silverstein, Reposted from Tikun Olam, April 22, 2025

Israel’s Opposition leader, Yair Lapid, warned that Bibi Netanyahu is mounting a plot to assassinate senior government officials, including Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar, and attorney general Gali Baharav-Miara. He points to numerous social media posts calling for their murder, including one featured in this image from David Yehoudai:

We must arrest him immediately. The leader of the murderers, the criminal Jew, the greatest murderer who ever lived. He is directly responsible for the slaughter and kidnapping of thousands (sic) of Israelis [a reference to 10/7) due to his unimaginable parasitism.

The twisted argument offered against Lapid is that he somehow weakened the country, and this encouraged Hamas’ attack. The argument is worthy of the hare-brained legal filings of the Justice Department to defend patently illegal deportations. In reality, Netanyahu, the IDF, and Shin Bet are responsible for ignoring multiple warnings of such an attack months before 10/7. It is classic Netanyahu: to launch into attack mode, throwing back any criticism onto his opponents. It’s similar to blaming the victim–when the accused rapist blames the victim for his crime.

ronen bar` — Ronen Bar, Shin Bet chief, target of assassination threats

Yehoudai’s post features rhetoric torn from Nazi propaganda targeting Jews, gays and Communists, all classed as arch enemies of the State. We all know where that led. Anyone doubting the possibility of such slaughter in Israel is deluding themselves.

They target Bar because he’s mounted two investigations against Netanyahu: the Qatargate scandal, by which Qatar funded security positions in the prime minister’s office; and a plot by terror minister, Itamar Ben Gvir (who just arrived for a controversial first official visit to the US), to permit public prayer by messianist settlers for the rebuilding of the Third Temple (which would require the destruction of Al-Aqsa mosque).

Lapid warned publicly that:

“On the basis of unambiguous intelligence, that Israel is headed toward a catastrophe due to ‘extreme levels of incitement [to murder] and unprecedented madness. If this doesn’t stop there will be a political assassination. Perhaps more than one. Jews killing Jews.’”

During periodic briefings as the Opposition leader, Netanyahu never alluded to threats. Lapid also identified “official figures” (ie, Netanyahu) as the origin of the incitement: “The inspiration comes from above, directly from the government.”

Netanyahu, who has a highly developed instinct for self-preservation, fired Bar, who promptly appealed to the Supreme Court. It ruled that the firing was permissible, but prohibited Netanyahu from naming a replacement until the current chief left office. The prime minister promptly ignored the ruling and named a successor. Bar’s case is now being heard before the Court, and it is exposing bombshells, about which most Israelis are not surprised. Among them:

The Shin Bet director describes meetings, at the end of which the prime minister ordered his military secretary and stenographer to leave [in order to remove any witnesses or written record]. Then, in private, Netanyahu tried to issue orders to the Shin Bet director to track the leading figures in the protest movement and those the prime minister suspected of funding it.

Netanyahu also demanded that Bar sign a document, composed by the Prime Minister’s Office, which exempt[ed] Netanyahu from appearing at the rest of his criminal trial for security reasons during wartime. Worse, according to Bar, Netanyahu demanded that, in the event of a constitutional crisis, Bar would obey Netanyahu alone, and not the High Court.

Netanyahu responded that Lapid hadn’t denounced incitement against him, which the former had supposedly participated in himself. The claim is ludicrous, since no one in the Opposition, and few if any Israelis, have advocated the assassination of Netanyahu, despite the fierce anger he has generated among the populace.

Threats of violence against those who pose a political threat are in the prime minister’s DNA. He delivered a fiery, bloodthirsty speech denouncing Yitzhak Rabin shortly before he was assassinated by a Likud supporter-gunner. Undoubtedly, Yigal Amir found inspiration in Netanyahu’s angry rhetoric. Nevertheless, Israelis have elected him as their leader four times over his 16 years in office. This is a dark stain (one of many) on the state.

Israelis are so disgusted with Netanyahu, his corruption and heartlessness, that they desperately seek heroes who will stand for the resistance. Once, it was Yoav Gallant who defended the pro-democracy protesters. Now it is Ronen Bar. But no one should mistakenly believe either of them is a poster child for wholesomeness. For them, there is no such thing as morality. They do whatever it takes. They have no compunctions about committing genocide. But compared to Netanyahu, they’re choir boys.

Richard Silverstein is an independent journalist and has published Tikun Olam since 2003.

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