Frenzied Primaries Spark Controversy Over Comments by MK Yaakov Findros

During a Knesset committee discussion, MK Yaakov Findros responded to a theoretical argument by MK Adi Azuz from Yesh Atid regarding the use of force against protesters. Azuz suggested that supporting shooting protesters in the legs is akin to supporting shooting MK Goldknopf in the legs. Findros replied that if that logic holds, then the focus should first be on Naama Lazimi, a leading figure in blocking roads during protests, who was even filmed intensifying a blockade on the Ayalon highway.

Findros’s comment sparked a wave of condemnations amid ongoing Democratic Party primaries, where 51 candidates vie for public attention. The controversy quickly became a tool for political competition, with populist activist Yaya Pink filing a police complaint and other candidates like Hadas Regulski lodging ethics complaints. Lazimi herself attended the committee to reprimand Findros and other candidates.

Despite the uproar, Findros did not explicitly call to shoot Lazimi, just as Azuz did not literally propose shooting Goldknopf. However, the heated reactions have overshadowed the primaries, turning the incident into a media spectacle rather than a substantive political debate.