Nimrod Shper apologized to Ronen Tzur after it emerged that a negative text campaign sent to members of the Democrats party was distributed in a way that made it appear to come from Tzur. The incident sparked turmoil in the party’s primary, where thousands of messages were sent to registered party members describing Shper as “a far-left man who bows to those who justify 7.10.”
The wording of the texts closely echoed criticism Tzur had previously made of Shper, creating the impression of a hostile campaign originating from Tzur’s own camp, even though Tzur is also running in the primary. It later became clear that the messages were sent by Shper’s personal spokesman. After the exposure, there were claims the move was intended to make members believe the attacks came from Tzur and turn them against him.
The party’s rules, approved about two weeks ago, allow the expulsion of a member who uses defamatory false propaganda. Following the report, Shper issued a public apology and accepted responsibility. “I apologize. One of the text messages sent today as part of the primaries came from my team, but it was written to look as if it was meant to attack me. The text echoed Ronen Tzur’s messages and was therefore attributed to him,” he said.
Shper added, “This is not the spirit I want to bring to politics, and the fact that I did not know about the move does not absolve me of responsibility. The responsibility is entirely mine.” He said he had spoken with Tzur and apologized to him, and also apologized to party members.
