The Likud party this afternoon (Wednesday) strongly criticized the statement by former Prime Minister Ehud Barak that "lives will be lost" in the battle against the government's planned judicial reforms.
"Ehud Barak, the leader of the left-wing protests, who promised long before the judicial reform issue that 'bodies would float in the Yarkon River,' continues to incite murder and says today that 'lives will be lost' in the protests," the party stated.
"This is not a protest against the judicial reforms, it is just the personal megalomania of Ehud Barak, who wants to overthrow the right-wing government and to become prime minister again at any cost - including at the cost of the lives of Israeli citizens. We demand that the law enforcement authorities put an end to Ehud Barak's wild incitement," the Likud said.
In an interview with CBS News, Barak claimed that "we are heading into civil non-violent disobedience. It's an extremely inspiring movement, and it will not stop. We will block this attempt on the life of Israel's democracy, and we will win this battle, there may be ups and downs, it might take time, some people might lose their lives along the way. I told the people we would have to face toil, sweat, and tears, hopefully, no blood, but there might be some violence, always coming from the right wing, but we will put an end to it, whatever the price will be."
He called the Israeli government "blatantly illegitimate, to my opinion, and even illegal. They are trying to change the very system. They are trying to change Israel from a place where the government is limited, it can not take actions against minorities, such as LGBTQs and Women, into a government that can do it, and we won't let that happen."
However, he declared that there would not be a civil war, because "Netanyahu doesn't have troops, and he doesn't have the will or the capability to do it, we will win through the most non-violent protest ever."