A senior government official blasted former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the Iran nuclear crisis, after Netanyahu accused the new government of failing to take action.
An official in the Prime Minister’s Office pushed back on Opposition Leader Netanyahu’s criticism Wednesday, calling Netanyahu’s comments “unbelievable”.
“Opposition Leader Netanyahu’s statement on the Iranian nuclear issue is unbelievable, even by his standards. He was Prime Minister for 12 years, and up until one month ago, it was his neglect which allowed Iran to get the farthest it has ever gotten in terms of the development of its nuclear program. In terms of results, that is a serious failure. He knows it, and is trying to dump the responsibility at someone else’s feet.”
The official went on to accuse Netanyahu of putting on public relations ‘shows’, while failing to take action.
“He preferred to give speeches with paper visual aids and make PR shows instead of moving forward with essential actions. His speeches were targeted mainly at the Israeli public as a form of election propaganda, and only served to create enemies and alienate allies. Never was the gap between rhetoric and action so huge.”
“That is what Bennett inherited, but from here on out he will lead and fix with every tool at his disposal.”
In a column published by Israel Hayom Wednesday morning, Netanyahu assailed the Bennett-Lapid government, following Bennett's vowing not to take unilateral action against Iran's nuclear program without a green light from the White House.
Various American governments, including the recent Biden administration, have repeatedly asked me not to 'surprise them' with our actions against Iran," wrote Netanyahu in his article.
"I have always refused to make that promise, maintaining our right to take action in the matter with or without a [nuclear agreement] between the U.S. and Iran. And now, within a week of the new government taking office, the de-facto Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, completely does away with this [long-held] policy, inflicting a fatal blow on Israel's ability to strike as needed somehow assuring the Americans there would be 'no surprises' on our part."
"Bennett and Lapid have turned Israel's 'iron wall' policy of deterrence into a plaster wall filled with holes," concluded the former Prime Minister.