Businessman Roni Mana Accuses Benny Gantz of Defamation
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Businessman Roni Mana accused Benny Gantz of major defamation and acting out of revenge after Gantz suggested Avigdor Lieberman would form a government with Arab party support. Mana, a Lieberman ally, stated Lieberman would not work with Mansour Abbas and urged Gantz to retire. Gantz's comments have increased pressure on him to leave the political race due to falling poll numbers. Lieberman offered a brief response to the controversy.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Businessman Roni Mana accused Benny Gantz of major defamation and acting out of revenge.
- Mana, a close associate of Avigdor Lieberman, defended Lieberman against Gantz's claims.
- Gantz suggested Lieberman would form a government with Arab party support, even ousting Gadi Eisenkot.
- Mana urged Gantz to retract his statements and consider retiring from politics.
- Gantz faces increasing pressure to withdraw from the political race due to declining poll numbers.
- Avigdor Lieberman responded to the controversy with a brief, cryptic comment.
Businessman Roni Mana, formerly close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but now a vocal critic, has publicly accused Benny Gantz, chairman of the Blue and White party, of defamation. Mana's strong reaction stemmed from an interview Gantz gave at a Ynet and Yediot Ahronot conference, where he suggested that right-wing figures like Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett would agree to form a government with the support of Arab parties, even claiming Lieberman planned to oust Gadi Eisenkot to achieve this.
Mana, who is known to be close to Lieberman, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Gantz's statements were driven by revenge and bordered on major defamation. He asserted that Lieberman would not even cooperate with Mansour Abbas, especially after the October 7th events, and urged Gantz to retract his words and consider retiring from politics, stating Gantz was making a fool of himself.
Gantz's remarks, particularly his insistence that Lieberman would "demand to be prime minister" in such a scenario, have intensified internal pressure within the "Change Bloc" for Gantz to withdraw from the political race due to his declining poll numbers. Lieberman himself responded to the controversy with a brief comment, "One does not judge a person in distress."
The escalating tensions and Mana's sharp criticism highlight growing impatience with Gantz among potential coalition partners as the election approaches.
Mentioned
