Foreign Ministry takes unusual step Against ambassador in Washington

Israel's Ambassador to the United States Dr. Yechiel Leiter was summoned today (Sunday) for a hearing by the Director General of the Foreign Ministry, following the critical statements he made recently in public - against law enforcement and the opposition in Israel.

Leiter made these statements in an interview he gave over the weekend to the American YouTube channel PragerU, during which he addressed the accusations against Netanyahu - both in Israel and abroad. According to him, Netanyahu has been labeled worldwide as a "war criminal" and this does not allow for a real fight against antisemitism.

When the interviewer mentioned a claim that Netanyahu is prolonging the war for personal political motives, saying that this is said in Israel as well and not just by "antisemites," Leiter attacked the opposition in response. "They go too far," he said according to the Ynet report, "there is nothing more harmful and evil than hurling such accusations at the Prime Minister."

He added that the accusations against Netanyahu come "from the extreme left that has a lot of influence in certain areas of the media." He further addressed the indictments against Netanyahu (which according to the Prime Minister's critics, Netanyahu is prolonging the war partly to evade these indictments), and said that these indictments are an insult. "Everything is crumbling like a house of cards," he said.

Leiter is considered close to Netanyahu and in the past, when Netanyahu served in the Finance Ministry, he served as his chief of staff. He was appointed ambassador to the United States just days before Donald Trump's election. His words in the aforementioned interview drew criticism among officials, who saw them as political statements.