The Foreign Ministry’s Director-General announced on Sunday that Ambassador to the US, Dr. Yechiel Leiter, will be summoned for a hearing regarding the criticism he voiced against the opposition in a media interview in the US.

Director General Eden Bar Tal stated that the hearing will be held “in accordance with the instructions of the Senior Director of the Disciplinary Division in the Civil Service Commission.”

Leiter attacked the Israeli left in an interview with the conservative US podcast PragerU. Responding to the left’s constant accusations that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s only goal in prolonging the war in Gaza is for “political reasons,” he said that the claim is a blood libel and defamation.

“There is nothing more malicious and malevolent than to level such charges at the prime minister,” he said, adding that the accusations come from the “extreme left that has a lot of sway in certain areas of the media” and do not hesitate to cross “red lines.”

“They are trying to break him—but he doesn’t break, he only grows stronger,” Leiter said. “That must be made clear. It’s legitimate to oppose the government—I myself opposed governments during my political career. That’s fine. But don’t cross the line. There’s a limit to everything, and they’ve crossed it.”

“I’ve known the Prime Minister for 40 years. He is a sensitive person who cares deeply about people. That he would extend the war in vain? What madness it is to say something so malicious—that Netanyahu doesn’t want the war to end. He wants it to end in victory because he carries the weight of the Jewish people on his shoulders.”

“It’s causing a lot of damage internationally,” the interviewer responded. “I hope the Israelis know that. Because the antisemites who believe that Israel should not exist are taking real advantage of this narrative.”

Leiter responded: “It’s very painful. It’s very painful and it should stop.”

It should be noted that Leiter paid a costly personal price for the war in Gaza. His son, Maj. (Res.) Moshe Yedidia Leiter, H’yd, was killed in the northern Gaza Strip in 2023.

When asked about the criminal charges against Netanyahu and his testimony in court, Leiter described them as trumped-up: “These charges are collapsing like a house of cards. They built sandcastles—and they are crumbling. They tried to wear Netanyahu down and break him. But they didn’t succeed.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)