Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman, Ziv Agmon, announced on Wednesday that he will resign, a day after racist remarks attributed to him were exposed in the media.
Agmon wrote in a statement: "About two years ago, I chose to join the public sector. I did this out of a sense of mission after I succeeded in my business and became financially stable, and as part of my desire to give back to my country that gave me so much. I worked during this period day and night, seven days a week, under war, challenges, and crises, all to provide us and ensure our children with a better reality."
"Unfortunately, over the past week, a person with whom I had a long-standing friendship decided to send partial quotes from our private conversations. The overwhelming majority of those conversations took place before I entered my position at the PM's Office. The quotes that were sent were taken out of context, and their only aim was character murder and to harm the Prime Minister, whom I serve. The reports about me yesterday were as far as east is from west from my outlook and values," Agmon claimed.
According to Agmon, "The attempt to attribute racist motives against Moroccans to my remarks is absurd, given that my nuclear family has Moroccan roots. The attempt to take parts of sentences from personal and private conversations, most of which were held years ago, to put them in the public domain, and to present them as current and official positions of the one who said them must be rejected. And despite this, I am appoligieze for the bottom of my heart to all those who were offended by the remarks attributed to me."
Agmon added that he had decided to step down from his position. “I entered my role in the Prime Minister’s Office to assist and contribute behind the scenes. Until now, I was fully focused on this sacred mission for all citizens of Israel without exception. We are in decisive days that require steadfastness from all of us, rooted in unity and shared destiny. However, having realized that I was involuntarily brought to the forefront, creating a divisive discourse around me, I decided to inform the Prime Minister of my resignation and my withdrawal from public life."
"I wish to express my deep appreciation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The greatest honor of my life has been to assist him during these historic days, alongside Mrs. Sarah Netanyahu, whose steadfastness strengthens both the Prime Minister and the entire office. Wherever I go, I will serve as an ambassador for our beloved country," he concluded.
A series of recordings aired on Tuesday on Channel 12 by journalist Amit Segal exposed some remarks of unprecedented severity by Agmon.
Agmon can be heard making a racist attack on Likud voters and Knesset members, belittling ministers and Netanyahu's family members, and declaring that the Prime Minister's term must end.
In one recording, Agmon is heard making offensive comments about Jews of North African descent: "Now we know where our Moroccans came from - from Africa. A baboon is a monkey." He did not stop there, and continued launching personal attacks on Knesset members from his party: "Vaturi is a baboon, Revivo is a Moroccan retard. Eli Dalal is a nothing. It's a shame we can't reserve the entire list and get rid of primaries."
Agmon did not hold back from criticizing the Prime Minister himself: "Bibi is finished. The question is whether there will be a country left. He must go home... the country is finished."
He also mentioned the Prime Minister's son, Yair Netanyahu: "Yair came to the Foreign Minister and forced Eli Cohen to issue him a diplomatic passport, despite not having any justification." Regarding the Prime Minister's wife, he said: "The stupid Knesset members understand that only flattery works with Sara."
Agmon said that the Shas party "only knows how to take money."
The remarks immediately sparked a storm in politics and on social media, given Agmon's central role in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office.