Senior Likud officials reportedly accuse New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar of blackmailing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a Channel 14 report. The specific details of the alleged blackmail have not been disclosed.
The report, aired on Channel 14 Saturday evening, cites unnamed senior Likud officials who allege that New Hope chairman Gideon Sa'ar is blackmailing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by demanding a reserved Knesset slot for MK Michal Bouskila in exchange for transferring party funding to Likud. The nature of the alleged blackmail was not specified further in the broadcast.
The Zioneer has been tracking this story since Friday, July 24, when it first reported at 17:30 Jerusalem that Netanyahu requested a ninth reserved slot for Bouskila. Shortly after, senior Likud officials were quoted by Channel 14 accusing Sa'ar of leveraging party funding to demand the slot. Sa'ar denied the allegations on Friday, calling them "baseless." The denial was reported by the desk at the same time.
The accusations come amid a High Court petition by MK Sharan Haskel seeking to split from New Hope and claim her party funding unit, potentially costing the party 1.8 million shekels. As The Zioneer reported on Friday, the request for a reserved slot reflects Netanyahu's need for New Hope's funding units and pressure from Sa'ar.
The specific details of the alleged blackmail remain undisclosed, and the accusations are unverified beyond the Channel 14 report. Sa'ar has denied the claims.
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Source and signal
- Open-source intake