Nir Barkat Allegedly Tried to Oust Netanyahu Shortly After War Began

In October 2023, just days after the outbreak of war, Nir Barkat reportedly initiated a political campaign aimed at replacing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to reports by Amit Segal, Barkat engaged in intensive consultations with advisors and confidants, considering the possibility of ousting Netanyahu and positioning himself as the next prime minister.

Between October 2023 and March 2024, Barkat allegedly applied political pressure on the government by attacking it from the right while simultaneously adopting positions to appeal to its left flank. He notably called for restraint against investigative committees and held numerous meetings with ministers, Knesset members, and media figures to promote himself as the leader capable of guiding the country after Netanyahu.

However, the effort did not come to fruition. At the end of November 2023, Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz reportedly informed Netanyahu about the emerging plot. Subsequently, Netanyahu took steps to dismantle the internal opposition through personal conversations, political maintenance, promotions, and even assigning one of the plotters abroad. Ultimately, Barkat remained in the government, Netanyahu retained leadership of Likud, and the attempted coup was thwarted.

Following the failure of this initiative, Barkat allegedly sought to regain favor within the Likud base by proposing the establishment of a fund to finance lawsuits against Channel 12. This move also failed to position him as Netanyahu’s successor. The question now remains whether Barkat will deny these serious allegations. Amit Segal suggests that if the claims are false, Barkat could pursue a defamation lawsuit to clarify the matter legally.