Blue and White leader Benny Gantz fired on Friday political strategist Yisrael Bachar, considered one of the top members of Blue and White's campaign team, after Channel 12 reported on Thursday that Bachar had been recorded voicing harsh criticism of Gantz.
According to Channel 12, Bachar told Blue and White MK Omer Yankelevich, also considered a close associated of Gantz, that Gantz "Is an utter fool, he's a total zero, and he mustn't become prime minister."
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Yankelevich replies, "They will be a danger, I've already told you. Very great danger."
Bachar responds by saying that Blue and White would stop the "right decision" to attack Iran.
"He [Gantz] doesn't have the courage to attack in Iran," Bachar says.
Blue and White looked into the report. Officials said that Bachar had fallen into a "trap that included personal exploitation, the use of unacceptable means, and fraud, which will be addressed through legal means."
"The manipulative involvement of political players will soon be exposed, but Gantz has nevertheless decided to terminate Bachar's campaign work, effective immediately."
In August 2019 Israel Hayom revealed that Yankelevich had asked for Bachar's help in moving to the New Right party. The New Right confirmed the report, although Blue and White denied it. Yankelevich tried to jump parties before the Israel Power party joined the Blue and White list, which took place around the time Bachar – a former adviser to New Right co-founder Naftali Bennett – began working for Blue and White.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Bachar recordings in a Twitter post on Thursday, writing that "Even the people closest to Gantz know that he must not become prime minister and that he is a danger to Israel."
