Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded at noon (Sunday) in strong words to Benny Gantz's comments about the right of the demonstrators in front of the Prime Minister's House to express their protest.
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Gantz said: "As a government, we are obligated to be attentive to the people. As a government, we have the responsibility to allow the demonstrations to take place and to protect the demonstrators, who unfortunately were also attacked yesterday in several locations. The right to protest is the lifeblood of democracy, and violence is eroding the foundation of democracy.".
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Netanyahu said: "My son, I didn't mean to touch on the demonstrations, but since you touched on them, I will say a few things: First, I condemn violence, of any kind, and we have zero tolerance for violence and for any threat of violence, from any side, towards any person.".
However, he said, "Here in the name of democracy I see an attempt to trample on democracy. In these demonstrations there is a distortion of all the rules.".
Netanyahu claimed that no one is acting against the protests, but rather the exact opposite: "We are moving towards them. These are Corona incubators, there are rules that are not enforced, no one is restricting it and no one has even tried to restrict it. On the contrary, these protests are being fueled, with unprecedented media mobilization, the demonstrations are being encouraged, neighborhoods are being paralyzed, roads are being blocked, in complete contrast to everything that was acceptable in the past.".
Netanyahu mentioned what Supreme Court President Aharon Barak said regarding protesters against the disengagement plan, when he "speaks out strongly against blocking roads: 'Freedom of expression is not a license to riot. Freedom of expression does not protect the freedom to paralyze the mechanisms for enforcing the law and bring about their collapse. Freedom of demonstration does not protect the freedom to stop the state and endanger the security of the individual and the whole.' That was when it came to protesters who came out against the disengagement plan. Protesters from the right. But here, when it comes to protesters from the left - everything has disappeared. It has simply disappeared.".
The Prime Minister attacked the media: "I denounce the one-sidedness of most media outlets. They don't report on the demonstrations, they participate in them. They fuel it. It's not just mobilized media, it's mobilized media. They fuel demonstrations that are violent demonstrations that no one says anything about. I haven't heard a single condemnation in the media of the severe violence directed at a police officer during the leftist demonstrations in Jerusalem. He said he was lynched by the protesters. He needed surgery. Not only did the media not condemn it, it says the police officer is guilty! And if the police officer is not guilty, then maybe I am guilty - because I supposedly send the police officers - which was not and will not be.".
Netanyahu continued: "When fans from two soccer teams get into a fight in Tel Aviv, the media slanders them, saying that they are right-wing activists who used violence against left-wing protesters. Again, here too, your servant is guilty - because I supposedly sent these fans. When protesters arrive with torches and threaten to throw Molotov cocktails at the prime minister's residence - here too, your servant is guilty. They say: 'If he weren't in Balfour, we wouldn't have had to demonstrate.' And when there is wild, unbridled incitement, including daily calls to murder the prime minister and his family - the media ignores, glosses over, and the politicians remain silent.".
Netanyahu then quoted excerpts from an article by journalist Kalman Libeskind last weekend: "I find it hard to remember a similar case, in which so few protesters received such a broad embrace and journalistic support. Headlines on an almost daily basis. Close monitoring. Endless broadcasts, right from the very first moment. News websites and publications became the protest's bulletin board. Reporters and commentators volunteered to function as its public relations people. You can't miss their enthusiasm. You can't miss their identification with everyone they interview. Sometimes they are in the role of reporter, sometimes in the role of protester. If you don't follow them closely, you won't notice which of the hats they are wearing at any given moment.".
Netanyahu added and quoted: "We are in days when all the media are busy with an open and obvious effort to increase the flames. They have an undisguised interest in heating up the atmosphere, and not letting this protest fade. This chaos serves them. They are recruited to overthrow Netanyahu, no matter how... They have no interest in facts. They have no interest in fair coverage. They have no interest in journalism. You know what? I dare say that a significant part of them also have an interest in there being violence here. This violence will ensure the continuation of the chaos and the continuation of the fire. This violence serves the narrative. This violence advances the achievement of the goal.".
Netanyahu concluded: "Gentlemen, this is not a delusional journalist, this is not a marginal journalist, this is a central and respected journalist who is revealing the truth that you are all aware of. It is not too late to come to your senses. The media has a responsibility, elected officials have a responsibility, I expect everyone to condemn violence and incitement from any side. The writing is on the wall on Facebook, the writing is on the wall at the demonstrations. No one will be able to say: I didn't know.".
