A first report by Amit Segal (N12) reveals that the campaign staff of IDF Reserve Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nimrod Shapir, a candidate in the Democrats party primaries, sent text messages disparaging Shapir himself, apparently to make voters think rival Ronen Tzor was behind the smear and thus reject the opponent. The report raises questions about the party's internal election conduct.
A first report by Amit Segal (N12), published Tuesday evening, details an alleged scheme in the Democrats party's internal primary race. According to Segal, the campaign team of IDF Reserve Maj. Gen. (ret.) Nimrod Shapir—a candidate in the primaries—sent thousands of text messages to party members that contained an extreme version of criticism previously voiced by rival candidate Ronen Tzor against Shapir. The messages described Shapir as an "extreme leftist who grovels before those who justify October 7."
Segal reports that the sender registered on the messages was Shapir's personal spokesman. The apparent goal, Segal writes, was to make voters believe Tzor had initiated a smear campaign against Shapir, and to disgust voters with Tzor's tactics—thereby benefiting Shapir's candidacy. Both Shapir and his spokesman did not respond to Segal's inquiries.
Segal notes that the party's regulations, approved just two weeks ago, allow for expulsion of any member who uses defamatory false propaganda. He called the incident a test for party leader Yair Golan. The report relies on a single source (Segal's own investigation); the details are attributed but not independently corroborated at this stage.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake