Likud MK Osnat Mark sharply attacked recent moves by Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, when he chose to set up a commission of inquiry into the submarine affair.
"It turns out that Gantz is only interested in his political survival and the struggles within his party. This is reflected in the fact that in order to please the Justice Minister he constantly zigzags," MK Mark states, and adds: "It is clear to the citizens of Israel that he does not understand economics or many areas and cannot be prime minister.
"The Prime Minister has to do everything to go to elections, and I hope that after the election we can form a strong, Right-leaning government that will address the public because what Gantz has been doing in recent days is confuse the system contrary to what he promised his electorate. He doesn't keep a single promise.
"My hypothesis is that Blue and White is a member of the Likud government only to overthrow Netanyahu and not to fight coronavirus. A person who hasn't passed a single budget now critiques the pre-COVID economy, which was strong and solid, and is Netanyahu's achievement."
According to MK Mark, "Blue and White people came in as a Trojan horse. Nissenkorn is trying to split Blue and White in two, just to revive the Labor Party. We hear the voices and talk to the Blue and White voters. I know for a fact that Gantz is not whole with the way of the Justice Minister. Even if there is a split in Blue and White, there is no escape from going to the polls, and I am sure that the Right-leaning bloc will receive a lot of seats and we will easily reach the situation of forming a Right-leaning government."
Given the dismal state of Blue and White in the polls, the reason for the decision to set up the submarine inspection committee is unclear, and MK Mark tried to explain the logic that led Gantz to this move, but initially stated that it is an oversight committee without teeth: "People won't show up and there's no sanction to apply against them.
"This committee has no grip on reality. He should have paid something to Nissenkorn and not beyond that," Mark says, and when asked why the Likud was alarmed when Netanyahu claims there is nothing to hide in the affair, she replies: "The establishment of this committee is a scandal because there's an Attorney General, whom they side with and guard all the time, and he said his word, so what happened? Suddenly his words aren't right? After all, he said that Netanyahu has no part in the affair? Nothing will come of it because everyone knows that everything has been tested and has passed dozens of filters. If there was the teeniest thing they could have stuck onto Netanyahu, they would have done it, but they understand there's no basis for it."
On the allegation made against Netanyahu following the exclusion of Gantz and Ashkenazi from the trip to Saudi Arabia, Mark says that she really does not know whether Netanyahu informed Gantz "because with Gantz it is impossible to know whether he's telling the truth or not, but if the Prime Minister decides not to inform him, I trust his judgment. Maybe he doesn't trust him. I don't trust Gantz either. I don't think the Prime Minister should inform the Defense Minister of anything.
"Ultimately, I know the Prime Minister is the only responsible adult here who's protecting Israel's interests. He produces economic, security, and diplomatic achievements and he's the only one who can give us a solution, and if he decided that he shouldn't be informed, he probably had a justifiable reason for it."