Netanyahu Taps Former Labor MK Who Called Him 'Clueless Failure' for Likud List

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to grant a protected spot on the Likud party's Knesset list to former Labor MK Eli Goldschmidt. The Prime Minister's office stated that Goldschmidt underwent a "sobering up" after the October 7th Hamas attacks, changing his political and security stances to now support Netanyahu and the national camp.

However, an examination of Goldschmidt's past statements reveals a dramatic shift. During the ongoing war, Goldschmidt released a scathing video criticizing Netanyahu's policies. He accused the Prime Minister of responsibility for the strengthening of Hamas and Hezbollah, and directly attacked him, saying, "You, you clueless piece of work. You never admit to anything."

In the video, posted after Netanyahu's speech to the US Congress, Goldschmidt questioned Netanyahu's narrative of the October 7th attacks. He asserted that Netanyahu's policies enabled Hamas terrorists to enter Israeli communities, implying a red carpet was rolled out for them. Goldschmidt directly blamed Netanyahu, stating, "I know someone who financed them, who gave them tons of money for a long time, who built them. That's you, Bibi Netanyahu."

Goldschmidt further alleged that Netanyahu's policies contributed to the circumstances leading to the abduction of Israelis to Gaza, suggesting that if money hadn't been transferred to Hamas, the abductions might not have occurred. He also accused Netanyahu of enabling Hezbollah's buildup and Iran's current standing, attributing this to a lack of self-awareness and an inability to admit failure.

"You are a crushing failure, a crushing failure with fluent English, that's what you are. A failure, A FAILURE, that's what you are," Goldschmidt declared in the video, predicting Netanyahu's historical legacy would be one of "total failure with fluent English."

In recent months, Goldschmidt has publicly defended Netanyahu and criticized his opponents, labeling the opposition bloc as the "hate bloc." His inclusion on the Likud list marks a complete political reversal from his strong condemnations of Netanyahu during the war.