Channel 12 political commentator Amit Segal on Tuesday published details of what he said was an attempt by Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat to oust and replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after the October 7 massacre.
“In October 2023, Nir Barkat held feverish consultations with his numerous paid advisers. On the agenda: a plan to oust Netanyahu and replace him with Prime Minister Nir Barkat,” Segal wrote. “As usual, the execution was expensive, clumsy and unsuccessful.”
According to Segal, “From October 2023 to March 2024, Barkat tried to bring down the budget, came out against the government from the Right, and then outflanked it from the Left by calling not to attack commissions of inquiry.”
“In between, he met with ministers, MKs and media figures; I am not one of them, and explained to them why only he could save the country. The country, surprisingly, was not convinced,” Segal added.
Segal later additionally wrote that “on the last day of November 2023, [Health Minister] Haim Katz came to Netanyahu and told him about the plot. Netanyahu foiled it by breaking the co-conspirators apart with personal talks and strategic promotions.”
“Having failed in his battle against Netanyahu, Barkat, in his distress, tried to appease Likud members through a legal claims fund against Channel 12. That did not catch on particularly well either,” he wrote.
Segal says if his report is untrue, Barkat should sue for libel
Segal concluded the post by asserting that “if Barkat denies what was written, the minimum required is a massive libel lawsuit filed first thing tomorrow morning.”
Segal was later asked by one user why Netanyahu had not fired Barkat from the government if he was aware of the attempted ousting.
Segal replied that it was an “excellent question,” explaining that “Netanyahu did not feel at the time that he had enough of a margin to give up a vote in the Knesset.”
“Today, in my opinion, it is because of Barkat’s legal claims fund, which also finances lawsuits by people who are close to the hearts of people in Netanyahu’s office,” he said.
Segal concluded by stating, “If I were a Likud minister on the eve of primaries and was falsely accused of a plot against Netanyahu, I would immediately file a libel lawsuit. [Barkat] has already sued Channel 12 for NIS 12 million. Money is not the problem. So what is the problem?”
