Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (L) with Netanyahu (R)
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon (L) with Netanyahu (R)Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Former Interior Minister Gidon Sa'ar sharply criticized government conduct during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza in 2014 on Friday, saying it was a "failure for Israel." 

"I said these things in real time as a member of the government," Sa'ar tweeted. The former Likud minister left the government for personal reasons in 2014, but rumors abound he will return as part of his own political party. 

Sa'ar's comments follow the expected publication of a damning report from State Comptroller Yosef Shapira about the government's handling of the operation, which is expected to strongly criticize Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

All have responded by saying the report is "an insignificant report from an insignificant comptroller" - but Sa'ar insisted that "the way to correct defects is not to lash back at criticism." 

Yisrael Beytenu chairman and former Foreign Minister MK Avigdor Liberman similarly fired at the state of the government Friday, declining to address the report's exact contents but making clear the criticism is well-deserved. 

"The current government of the State of Israel, headed by Ya'alon and Netanyahu, is a leadership which runs away from responsibility, and cannot guarantee the security of Israeli citizens," he fumed.

"Beyond the failure to lead during the operation, which I warned them about in real time, the response of the PM - who himself made sure [Shapira] was elected by force - demonstrates that Netanyahu is once again expert at pinning responsibility on others." 

Liberman further said that Protective Edge, essentially, did nothing. 

"Today, Israel only responds to Hamas threats, and is not taking any real initiative to fundamentally change the situation and remove the continually growing threat to the residents of Israel from Gaza."