Netanyahu Threatens Channel 12 Over "Lies" in Report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a sharp response Sunday to a Channel 12 report by Ilana Dayan concerning the involvement of Chief of Staff Ido Norden in an investigation into alleged election bribery. The Prime Minister's office attacked the publication, calling it "another false report wrapped in dramatic music" and part of attempts to silence the "election contamination affair." The office stated that Norden acted as any law-abiding citizen would when he received information about suspected criminal activity and connected the informant to the police. They denied any further involvement by Norden in the investigation, asserting he "never spoke with police intelligence officials or other parties involved in the investigation." The office further warned that other claims of his involvement are false and grounds for a defamation lawsuit.

The response comes amid reports that information from the Prime Minister's office led to an investigation of Ra'am party activists on election day. The Prime Minister's office emphasized that the public and Norden himself learned through the media on election morning about a person being apprehended with tens of thousands of shekels in cash and Ra'am ballots. Conversely, previous Channel 12 reports claimed Norden passed information directly to the Police Commissioner, weakening the case's evidentiary basis.