Channel 14 commentator Yaakov Bardugo, described as one of Benjamin Netanyahu’s closest confidants, recently argued that Menachem Begin was sold out to the establishment, then soon after claimed that Netanyahu is actually Israel’s real “first Sephardi prime minister” and “first periphery prime minister.” When a panelist challenged him by mentioning Gadi Eisenkot, Bardugo replied that origin does not matter, only “connection,” and said Netanyahu is “more than Menachem Begin.” The clip ended before the exchange could continue.
The article says this was not a casual remark, but part of an effort to present Netanyahu as the greatest leader since the state was founded. In that narrative, Begin, the Likud founder, Irgun commander, creator of Gahal and the Likud, and Israel’s first Likud prime minister after the 1977 political earthquake, is pushed aside. The writer argues that Bardugo and Channel 14 are helping erase Begin’s place in Likud history by falsely recasting Netanyahu as a Sephardi hero.
The piece also recalls the long feud between Netanyahu and Bardugo. In 1993, during the “hot tape” affair, Netanyahu called David Levy a “senior Likud official” surrounded by “a gang of criminals,” apparently referring to Bardugo without naming him. Netanyahu later apologized, and the two eventually reconciled. Over time, Bardugo became an outspoken Bibi loyalist, even saying, “I did not become a Bibist, Bibi became a Bardugist.”
The article says Bardugo has since acted as a powerful adviser and confidant, reportedly feeling able to threaten ministers such as Yariv Levin and Miki Zohar. Its final warning is that if the Netanyahu-Bardugo partnership in power continues for years, Menachem Begin may be left only as a street name, and perhaps not even that.
