Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz has told a group associates that he wouldn't rule out the possibility that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the Russians to break into his cellphone, Channel 13 reported Sunday, based on recordings of Gantz speaking at a closed-door meeting.
"If Netanyahu had a way to hurt or kill me, he'd do it. Would Benjamin Netanyahu, the man I know, wish me harm? The answer is no. Would this Benjamin Netanyahu, on the eve of the election, be willing to see me hurt? Yes, unfortunately that's what I'm saying," Gantz is heard saying.
Gantz also said that Iran might have been behind the attack on his device, an accusation Iran has denied.
"OK, if it's not the enemies, who did it? The opponents. There are two possibilities – one is that they took private individuals who carry out cyber operations of various kinds. The second possibility, which is something Bibi would do – even if I don't think it's very likely – is that he directed the Russians to do it ahead of the election."
In the recordings, Gantz also says that Netanyahu "knows he's going to prison."
Netanyahu's Likud party said in response to the recordings: "Benny Gantz has lost it. After accusing the prime minister of betraying the country, he is saying the prime minister will send people to kill him. If Benny Gantz is showing signs of advanced paranoia after weeks of pressure in an election campaign and after the Iranians hacked his phone, how will he run the country?"
Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee MK Avi Dichter (Likud) said, "Gantz has gone off the rails and is dragging [Yair] Lapid and the others after him. A week that begins with the 'Four Musketeers' [Blue and White leaders Gantz, Lapid, Moshe Ya'alon, and Gabi Ashkenazi] accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of betraying his country will naturally go on to accusing him of intending to physically attack Gantz.
"These are signs of the stress that is threatening to bring Gantz down. His remarks against Netanyahu illustrate how unequipped he is to handle diplomatic and political pressure. These facts lead to the conclusion that they are trying to influence the past, whereas Netanyahu in Washington is trying to influence the future," Dichter said.
