MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) launched a broad attack against those predicting her ouster, the top ranks of the defense establishment, and the prosecution, in an interview with 103FM on Thursday. In the process, she clashed directly with the program host, Sivan Cohen.
Gotliv was unimpressed by Amit Segal’s report on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to cancel the Likud primaries, saying that he was “diminishing the leadership strength of the Prime Minister.”
“You think he doesn’t want strong people around him,” she added. “I really haven’t lowered my head, I haven’t turned the Prime Minister’s circle into my own environment. The only thing driving me is the Prime Minister.
“I have news for Amit Segal – there will be primaries. No court will help; primaries are the pride of the Likud party. I understand this really bothers you. Oh woe, right‑wing Tally Gotliv, the one who thinks terror supporters shouldn’t be in the Knesset, the one who thinks there’s a narrative of harming Jews in the West Bank,” she said.
Gotliv also said that Netanyahu wants her “very, very much.”
“You can count on one hand the denials Netanyahu has issued about media reports. When was the last organized denial from his office? When Amit Segal reported that Netanyahu and Yariv Levin had spoken and said I was weakening Likud, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a denial. Do you know what poll the Prime Minister conducted regarding me? How much am I worth? Thank God, I’m worth five seats. I don’t want to be worth five seats.”
“The Prime Minister cannot cancel the primaries; this is not his decision,” Gotliv emphasized. “We are not a one‑man party. I am not part of that; we have an excellent leader and a great party. Netanyahu is not leaving; he’s with us as much as he can. Leadership took us from crisis and low points to control. The primaries will not be canceled; it cannot be the Prime Minister’s decision. There will be primaries in Likud. If you want to see what happens without primaries, just look at the ‘Ein Atid’ (No Future) party. We are a democratic party; we don’t bow our heads to the chairman.”
Gotliv called Likud an “excellent party,” saying that she was not involved in “this low-level gossip.”
“I know what political persecution is,” she said. “The fact that an indictment is filed leaves no impression on me. An indictment against right‑wing individuals is political persecution. To the dismay of leftists, the corrupt prosecution leadership chasing us this week in the Knesset committee, people were shocked to hear what was said. Right‑wing people are smart; the right will continue to govern despite the scheme to weaken, suppress, and stir pessimism on the right. Likud will remain in power, and the only way to do so is through primaries.”
Gotliv defends ‘Bild’ leak affair
Later in the interview, Gotliv defended the Bild case, saying that the leaking of secret documents to the German newspaper was “one of the most important things that cut through Hamas’s glorification in the world, which was taking place under the guise of protests here in Israel.”
“‘The Prime Minister does not kill hostages,’ ‘The Prime Minister does not want hostage deals,’” she said the protesters claimed. “The document, which was held by the army and should have been transferred to the Prime Minister, stated: we will not release hostages. That’s what the document says. So the fact that Amit Aisman says revealing the document harms state security – I didn’t know that cutting off the enemy’s glorification is harming state security. Fortunately, they said about Amit Aisman that he doesn’t know and it’s unclear how he chooses the offenses.”
Cohen couldn’t contain herself, interjecting with “I’m letting you speak, but I’m exploding inside. As someone who established the Hostages Forum, listen, what you just said is a disgrace and shame. Any connection between reality and what you say is humiliating. Bild didn’t harm the hostages? I was in the meetings.”
Gotliv did not back down, saying, “The German Bild document says not to release hostages, not to carry out hostage deals. Why wasn’t this revealed to the people of Israel? Bild published it, revealing the truth; this is Hamas’s stance and strategy.”
“You claim that security officials betrayed and allowed October 7,” Cohen replied. “Zini, the Shin Bet chief appointed by Netanyahu, openly said there was no betrayal.”
Cohen also tried to de-escalate, saying, “Tali, don’t get angry, let’s speak nicely.”
Gotliv remained firm, saying she would not speak nicely with Cohen because she was “weakening the nation.”
“You have no courage to face reality,” she argued. “The top ranks of Shin Bet and the IDF did not update the Prime Minister on signs indicating war; their excuse after three years was fear of miscalculation. What does that mean? The top Shin Bet ranks are responsible for harming the system. I don’t see leadership before me; I don’t care how eminent or big a person is.”
October 7 investigation needs IDF soldiers involved, MK says
“So who can investigate the biggest disaster since the Holocaust? You don’t trust Esther Hayut to lead the committee? Who can head the committee?” Cohen asked the MK.
Gotliv offered an alternative: “In a state investigation committee, we won’t know the truth. The people can lead the committee. We want a national inquiry. I want people from the army, up to lieutenant colonel rank, who were in the field; I want intelligence from Unit 8200, the materials that raised warnings, what happened, and what they did with them. I don’t want a Supreme Court judge like Isaac Amit, who said there’s no such thing as insubordination; I want someone to investigate and tell me how Shin Bet did not prevent insubordination and calls for disobedience like ‘Brothers in Arms.’”
Cohen pressed Gotliv, asking her, “Why don’t you waive your immunity and confront reality? You have immunity, and you’re disregarding everyone and harming state security, putting private individuals at risk targeted by terror organizations.”
Gotliv replied, “Do you know why I can’t reveal everything? Who signed the certificate of immunity? Israel Katz. All the materials are classified; you will never know them.”
“Remove the immunity, remove it, you know how to deal with these matters,” Cohen responded sarcastically.
Gotliv concluded sharply: “I don’t need your compliments. Don’t belittle me, you’re really on the edge of a kind of misogyny that doesn’t suit you. I have immunity under the law. Why? Not to harm an anonymous person, not me, I don’t harm anonymous people, not to take bribes; the Prime Minister was the one who suspected Shikma Bressler’s partner.”
