Likud MK Boaz Bismuth accuses media of targeting Netanyahu over Egypt intel. reports, Qatargate

Likud MK Boaz Bismuth accused the media on Wednesday of conducting a campaign against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, claiming that reports concerning a possible pre-October 7 visit by former Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and leaked private messages belonging to Netanyahu adviser Yonatan Urich were being used to politically undermine the prime minister.

Speaking in an interview with 103FM, Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, strongly defended Netanyahu and criticized former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Yoram Cohen, who is second on former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot's party list, for comparing the prime minister to Shabbetai Zevi, the 17th-century Jewish false messiah.

"I could put together an entire case about the media's conduct toward the prime minister, and it would all be based on lies," Bismuth said.

"You can say anything, and you can even compare the prime minister to Shabbetai Zevi. That sounds absurd to me," he added.

Bismuth said Netanyahu supporters were being subjected to offensive comparisons involving their political leader, arguing that the rhetoric reflected hostility toward the prime minister rather than legitimate criticism.

"People who vote for Netanyahu hear their leader being compared to someone whose name is followed by the expression 'may the name of the wicked rot,'" he said, referring to a traditional Hebrew condemnation. "A false messiah is someone who joins the 'Anyone but Bibi' camp."

Bismuth defends Netanyahu amid Egyptian intelligence warning controversy

The interview came amid renewed scrutiny of reports that Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel had traveled to Israel shortly before Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

Netanyahu previously denied meeting or speaking with Kamel in the months leading up to the attack, but confirmed this week that an Egyptian aircraft had landed in Israel in September 2023. He maintained that he did not know whom Kamel had met, if the intelligence official had visited.

Asked why Netanyahu had acknowledged the aircraft's arrival only after previously rejecting reports surrounding the alleged visit, Bismuth defended the prime minister's handling of sensitive intelligence matters.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu is a very responsible person," Bismuth said. "Believe me, as chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who is exposed to certain information, I know he does not disclose material that could benefit him and support his arguments."

He argued that the public debate had been dominated by a politically motivated effort to discredit Netanyahu, including through interviews with former senior security officials.

"What does this shallow campaign do from morning until night?" he asked. "It searches for arguments in interviews with former officials, through stories about Egypt and the Emirates that never happened."

The circumstances surrounding the Egyptian aircraft's arrival and the reported warnings remain disputed. While several international media reports have alleged that Egyptian officials sought to alert Israel to a possible escalation before October 7, Netanyahu has denied receiving such a warning directly from Kamel.

Bismuth condemns publication of Yonatan Urich's private WhatsApp messages

Bismuth also criticized the publication of private correspondence attributed to Yonatan Urich, a senior Netanyahu adviser whose communications have come under scrutiny amid the ongoing political controversies surrounding the prime minister's office.

"My conclusion is that when people want Netanyahu's head, they try to attack him through everyone close to him," Bismuth said.

"The public knows this, and people are already tired of it."

Bismuth alleged that the messages had been obtained through unauthorized access to Urich's WhatsApp account and claimed that some of the published correspondence had been altered. Those allegations have not been independently established.

"Whoever hacked Yonatan Urich's WhatsApp and published private correspondence, while adding and changing things, will pay the price," he said. "The same will happen to anyone who publishes it or cooperates."

He also accused journalists who reported on the messages of celebrating what he described as a criminal violation of an individual's privacy.

"Media figures who celebrate a criminal offense committed against someone should be ashamed of themselves," Bismuth said.

He recalled previous cases involving unauthorized access to mobile phones, including an alleged incident involving former prime minister Naftali Bennett, and suggested that similar privacy concerns had not received sufficient attention.

"Yonatan Urich did not harm Israel's security. I have absolutely no doubt about that," Bismuth said.

"Israel, under Netanyahu, attacked in Qatar, so perhaps it's time to stop with this nonsense?"

Urich has also publicly alleged that his phone was hacked and has threatened legal action against those responsible for distributing the correspondence. The allegations about the messages' authenticity and the circumstances of their release remain contested.

Likud MK rejects questions over loyalty to Netanyahu and party ranking

During the interview, Bismuth was also asked why he continued to defend Netanyahu so strongly despite being placed 21st on the Likud electoral list, after previously securing a higher position in the party's internal rankings.

Bismuth rejected suggestions that the placement had affected his relationship with the prime minister, saying he was satisfied with the party's reserved positions and the broader composition of its list.

"I was elected in 13th place, and that is a very respectable position," he said.

He also referred to his previous professional relationship with political commentator Yaakov Bardugo, noting that he had been Bardugo's employer when both worked at the Israel Hayom newspaper.

Bismuth insisted that his support for Netanyahu was based on his political preference rather than considerations about his own parliamentary position.

"This has nothing to do with me. A seat in the Knesset is a seat you hold temporarily. Netanyahu is the prime minister I want."