Moshe Yaalon
Moshe YaalonFlash 90

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon was summoned to a hearing by the Likud's Comptroller, Shai Galilee, to discuss accusations that Ya'alon has been using a Defense Ministry employee for his personal political campaign. According to Galilee, the employee uses a Ministry phone to call party members and inform them on when political events held by Ya'alon take place.

According to Galilee, the use of such a worker is illegal, and needed to be investigated. “You will have the opportunity to explain the matter. You need to appear in my office within four days,” the summons to Ya'alon said. Ya'alon has yet to respond.

On Wednesday, Galilee said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was disqualified from running as a candidate in the Likud primaries because he, too, used party resources for his personal election campaign, instead of for party efforts. According to Galilee, Netanyahu has violated the principle of “equal opportunity” in the Likud's constitution; by using party resources to advance himself, he has gained an unfair advantage, especially given his top status in the party.

In response, Netanyahu aides said that Galilee was “a political hack who has made a very strange decision that is motivated by political interests, besides being irrelevant.” The Likud's election committee dismissed Galilee's claim, and ruled that Netanyahu can be the Likud's candidate for Prime Minister. Chairman of the committee Menachem Ne'eman said that Galilee's declaration was “terribly damaging to the party, in light of the fierce competition the Likud faces in this election, besides being irrelevant, as it would deny party members their right to choose the leader of the party, whether they plan to vote for Netanyahu or Danny Danon,” the only other candidate for the Likud's prime ministerial candidacy.