Likud MK May Golan has compared political party leaders involved in efforts to establish a so-called "pro-change" government that would oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from office to suicide bombers.

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"What is most dangerous about public leaders is people who have nowhere to return, and [Yamina faction head] Naftali Bennett and [New Hope party chief] Gideon Sa'ar have no where to return. And although vastly different, I compare them today to suicide bombers," Golan said in an interview on the Knesset Channel Sunday. 

Asked by the presenters whether she was going too far in her comparison, Golan insisted she wasn't.

"I am comparing them in this way, although it is vastly different, because they are like terrorists who no longer believe in anything and embark on that same suicide mission. And even if they know they have a death sentence, that doesn't interest them."

The presenters voiced their displeasure with her comparison and asked Golan to take it back.

Golan, however, refused, doubling down on her remarks.

"They decided they will die with the Philistines," Golan said. "They are embarking on a suicide mission, and they don't care what happens in the end.

"They want to commit suicide and these are the people we are appointing to the head of our state, and I won't take it back. It's not just our right-wing public they're deceiving, but they're deceiving every single person who voted for them," Golan said.

The Likud lawmaker's remarks came one day after Shin Bet security agency chief Nadav Argaman called on public leaders to act to "immediately put a stop to the violent, inciting discourse on social media."

The statement by the head of the Shin Bet security agency was an unusual one. It follows a dramatic increase in the number of online death threats made against public officials involved in the efforts to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A number of Yamina officials have been assigned security detail following threats in recent days.

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The International Criminal Court's announcement Wednesday that it would launch an investigation into Israeli conduct in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip sent shockwaves throughout the country, drawing condemnation from both sides of the political divide.

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President Reuven Rivlin called the decision "scandalous" on Twitter and asserted Israel's right and duty to protect its citizens.

"The State of Israel is a strong, Jewish and democratic state, and it knows how to defend itself and also to investigate itself if necessary," the president tweeted. "We are proud of our soldiers, our sons and daughters. We will make sure that they are not harmed as a result of the decision."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the decision was "the essence of anti-Semitism and hypocrisy." He added that "there is only one answer: to fight for the truth with all our might, all over the world, and to protect our soldiers."

Echoing similar sentiment, the head of the newly created right-wing party New Hope Chairman Gideon Sa'ar accused the ICC of having been "hijacked by sponsors of terror" and vowed to work with Israel's "allies and friends around the world to defend our moral army, and brave soldiers who risk their lives to keep us safe."

The ICC has allowed itself to be hijacked by sponsors of terror. This is a shameful day for the cause of justice. A government led by me will work with our allies and friends around the world to defend our moral army, and brave soldiers who risk their lives to keep us safe.

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) March 3, 2021

Right-wing party Yamina lambasted the ICC and called it "an anti-Semitic institution that encourages terrorism instead of fighting it."

"The IDF is and will continue to be the most moral army in the world. No fake investigation will prevent Israel from protecting its citizens," the party said in a statement.

Nitzan Horowitz , the chairman of the Left-wing party Meretz, said the settlements and right-wing policies helped to precipitate the move and added that "Israel needs a government that will stop the building of settlements and restart the peace process with the Palestinians."

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The New Hope party was allegedly responsible for the smear campaign directed at Yamina leader Naftali Bennett, an investigation conducted by the Central Elections Committee revealed this week.

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Bennett appealed to the committee to examine the issue after several anonymous articles appeared on the Outbrain digital media showing him in a bad light.

According to Channel 12 News, a dozen articles published about Bennett were marked as "sponsored" and described him as a "reckless" candidate for prime ministership who not only does not aim to transform the government but will end up cooperating with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the elections.

After Bennett's appeal, Committee Chairman Justice Uzi Vogelman requested a response from Outbrain, which allegedly revealed that the person who sponsored the publications was most likely New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar.

Although the committee has not ruled on whether to obligate Outbrain to reveal the identity of the sponsor, the fact that the digital media's response was drafted by Sa'ar and New Hope's lawyers makes it seem that they were indeed the driving force behind the publications.

New Hope said it was "working to bring to the public's attention information that was published in leading Israeli media [outlets.] Ahead of Purim, the time has come to take off Bennett's mask and tell the public with a clear voice what Bennett and Yamina are trying to hide – that voting for Bennett is tantamount to voting for Netanyahu."

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Yamina leader Naftali Bennett officially announced Wednesday that he would run for prime minister in the upcoming election as Israel is "in need of a new leadership."

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"Netanyahu has accomplishments, but when we needed him the most, he was not there for us," Bennett said. "We must thank him for his years of service, but we must move on.

"I stand before you to announce that I am running for the position of prime minister in order to finally bring about a change so that Israel will have a leadership that takes the citizens into consideration, not itself.

"When I was defense minister, I did everything in my power to protect you, your health, and your livelihood. When the pandemic broke out, I put everything aside. At the end of the first lockdown, I submitted a plan to prevent all future lockdowns that are so destructive, but Netanyahu rejected it. 

"The government we set up will be task-oriented. We will focus on curbing the coronavirus, restoring livelihoods, and uniting the people. I will invite to join our government all those parties that want a Jewish and democratic state of Israel, who are willing to put aside their disputes for the time being in order to rescue Israel from the current crisis."

The Likud responded by saying, "while Bennett is giving a confusing and tedious speech on television, Prime Minister Netanyahu is leading the world's fastest vaccination campaign and is determined that together with the strict lockdown measures Israel will be the first country to emerge from the pandemic. The prime minister's efforts made Israel into the country with the most vaccines in the world. He acted swiftly to stop the mutation of the virus, and now Israel has one of the lowest morbidity rates in the world."

Bennett's announcement comes a day after the 23rd Knesset dissolved after the government failed to pass the state budget, meaning that Israel would hold a fourth general election in the space of under two years. 

Some polls placed Yamina as the second-largest political party after Likud, right until Gideon Sa'ar announced his New Hope party. Sa'ar's entry into the race damaged Yamina's momentum and left the party with about thirteen government seats. Nevertheless, some Yamina members expressed excitement as the party doubled its seats in the government, going from six to twelve seats.

Sources in Yamina told Israel Hayom that the party has many bright prospects. "What if Gideon Sa'ar will be the deciding factor? Will he join the government with the support of the Arab political party Balad? The fact that he keeps saying "just not Bibi" will only make things complicated for him.

Yamina relies on three electorates in the upcoming elections: religious Zionists, right-wing Likud members who are no longer interested in Netanyahu's leadership, and center-right voters, perhaps even left-wing voters who have been disillusioned by the government's mishandling of the pandemic. 

Meanwhile, the party does not plan to include "stars" in it, as it did in the past with Alona Barkat and Eli Ohana. They play to include people with a record of service in the public and private spheres. Bennett will also negotiate with Yamina MK Bezalel Smotrich, who makes up the list with his religious Zionist National Union-Tkuma party, in an attempt to reach agreements on compiling the list and other substantial issues.  

Yamina sources told Israel Hayom Sunday that they had received a proposal from a source very close to the prime minister to join the government. The party received an "open check" for any government position, including Defense or Justice Minister. Yamina rejected the offer saying their goal was to replace Netanyahu. The Likud denied the allegations.

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