Defense Minister Israel Katz Launches Sharp Attack on MK Tali Gottlieb Amid Internal Likud Dispute

Defense Minister Israel Katz has publicly responded with a strong rebuttal to MK Tali Gottlieb, following her accusations against him related to the confidentiality order in her legal case and claims he opposes holding primaries in the Likud party. Katz denied any involvement in the party's election method discussions and warned that if the attacks continue, Likud members will distinguish between truth and falsehood.

The conflict stems from Gottlieb's indictment for publishing confidential information. After Katz signed the required confidentiality certificate, Gottlieb alleged that his signature enabled the indictment against her. Katz clarified that the certificate was a professional security requirement from Shin Bet chief David Zini and did not influence the legal proceedings. He emphasized that the Knesset, including himself, voted against lifting her parliamentary immunity, and no indictment was filed as a result of his actions.

Katz also addressed Gottlieb's recent claim that he is working against holding Likud primaries, calling it a baseless political attack aimed at damaging him. He stated that his focus remains entirely on his duties as Defense Minister and supporting Prime Minister Netanyahu, and he is not involved in internal party election discussions.

He concluded by cautioning Gottlieb that continued personal attacks will not be tolerated and expressed confidence that Likud members can discern responsible leadership from personal political campaigns. This statement comes amid ongoing internal disputes within Likud over the primary election format and candidate list composition for the upcoming Knesset elections.