Michal Diament
Michal DiamentElad Malka

Michal Diament, granddaughter of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, on Sunday fired back at Transportation Minister Miri Regev, who had levelled criticism at Diament for leaving the Likud party and joining Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party.

Regev had written to Diament, "I do not know you, but it is important for me to give you a brief lesson in history. In the 1992 election, Prime Minister Shamir headed the Likud movement against Labor leader Yitzhak Rabin. However, elements within the Likud attacked him as an internal opposition. Yitzhak Moda'i resigned in favor of the New Liberal Party, together with other right-wing parties that split the bloc. We know how it ended: Rabin came to power and brought the Oslo disaster upon us at a terrible bloody price."

Regev continued, "Michal Diament, you and Sa’ar are doing to Netanyahu what others did to your grandfather Yitzhak Shamir. Attempting to rebel against the Likud leader, splitting the right-wing bloc and not accepting the decision of the voters of the Likud. This time we must not let this happen again, we must not split the right-wing bloc."

Diament later responded, "Miri Regev, my grandfather was proud of me his entire life and I have no doubt that he also would be proud at this time, when I enlisted in the important fight for the future of the State of Israel.”

She described Regev as "the spokeswoman for the disengagement who moved to the Likud party", a reference to Regev’s time as IDF Spokesperson which coincided with Israel’s disengagement from Gaza.

"Indeed, you do not know me, so you also do not know that I do not need history lessons at all, especially about my grandfather's life and legacy. On the other hand, your letter shows that your knowledge of history is very partial and therefore it is also important for me to give you a brief lesson in history: In the 1999 election, former Prime Minister Shamir resigned from the Likud movement, amid his great disappointment from the head of the party at the time, Binyamin Netanyahu, who continued with the establishment of the Oslo disaster, as you called it in your letter - and did this by signing a series of follow-up agreements to Oslo, such as the Hebron Agreement and the Wye Agreement. In case you were wondering, Yitzhak Shamir only agreed to return to the Likud party after Netanyahu resigned from the party leadership,” Diament added.

"Like my grandfather,” she continued, “I too am not willing to give in to the trampling of the basic principles on which the Likud movement is based. Miri Regev, you and your ilk brought with your own hands the destruction of this glorious party, until you left me no choice but to leave what is left of the party. The division and the hostility that you are sowing among the people, the incessant slander against all who are not on your side and the blatant contempt you show towards your voters and towards the entire people. This time we must not let this conduct continue, we must not agree to the continued hatred and division you spread here on a daily basis, out of political needs and in stark contrast to the good of the state.”