The Likud and National Unity parties sparred throughout the day on Thursday over statements made by former Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) chief Yoram Cohen in which he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's conduct.
Cohen revealed in an interview earlier in the day that he was asked by the Prime Minister to eavesdrop on ministers and senior officers involved in a significant security event due to leak concerns.
"The Prime Minister was concerned because it was a sensitive subject. He feared it would leak and asked me to use my tools to monitor anyone privy to the secret, and if someone leaked it, we would deal with it," Cohen said in the interview.
When asked if he was requested to use phone tapping, he replied, "Among other things."
National Unity leader Benny Gantz commented on the revelations by Cohen and claimed, "I vividly remember the toxic and suspicious atmosphere fostered by Netanyahu during that period."
Gantz added, "The fact that Netanyahu asks the head of the Shin Bet to break the law and use tools meant for our enemies against the heads of the security branches is unsurprising. It reflects on him and the criminal culture that surrounds him."
Likud quickly responded and said, "The deterioration in Gantz's memory is concerning. In November 2014, when Gantz was Chief of Staff, he sent an unprecedentedly harsh letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu in which he directly attacked the Shin Bet. He accused the organization of 'defaming the political echelon, crossing all moral and ethical norms, and creating a false narrative.' Gantz even called for an investigation into Shin Bet leaks to the Uvda television program. What is astonishing is that the Shin Bet chief that Gantz attacked in that letter was Yoram Cohen."
National Unity then fired back, "The deterioration in Netanyahu's cognitive ability is deeply troubling. The tension that existed between the IDF and the Shin Bet at the end of 2014 has nothing to do with Netanyahu's attempt three years earlier to spy on the heads of the security organizations. We suggest Netanyahu work on his lies and sharpen his memory ahead of his court testimony next week."