Heated Confrontation Erupts Between Likud Ministers' Spouses Amidst Election Dispute

A heated exchange nearly escalated to physical violence between Israeli Minister Haim Katz and attorney Hovav Damari, the husband of Minister Gila Gamliel, during an internal Likud party legal hearing. The dispute occurred during proceedings concerning a recount of votes from the Likud primaries. Video circulating on social media captured Katz verbally abusing Damari, telling him to "go f*** yourself." Damari reportedly moved towards Katz in response, but a bystander intervened to prevent a physical altercation. Minister Gamliel herself stood by and observed the incident.

The confrontation takes place against the backdrop of a political struggle within the Likud party over the composition of its Knesset list. Earlier, Gamliel had filed a complaint with the Lahav 433 unit, alleging corruption in the primary elections. She had also stated her intention to prevent Minister Katz from including his associate, Eti Atiya, on the list at her expense.

In a previous interview, Gamliel expressed strong criticism of the election process, stating, "All signs indicate corruption and an attempt to deceive. This is an attempt to steal these ballot boxes in a completely dark and corrupt manner." She questioned how a company managing the elections, which also set up the ballot committees and counted the votes, could suddenly produce entirely different results. Gamliel specifically alleged that votes were added to benefit a candidate in the Bar Yaakov region, potentially altering the outcome for Boaz Aharon, and questioned if ballots themselves were altered.