Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is facing criticism from the right after recording an interview with i24NEWS that is scheduled to air Friday night during Shabbos.
The interview with journalist Naveh Dromi was recorded in advance and did not take place on Shabbos. However, Channel 14 host Boaz Golan sharply criticized Netanyahu for agreeing to have the interview broadcast as a central part of i24NEWS’ Friday night program.
Golan said that according to his research, no sitting Israeli prime minister has appeared in a program broadcast on Friday night, even when the interview itself was prerecorded, with the exception of Netanyahu in 2010.
He noted that following that incident, Netanyahu apologized and pledged to be more careful in the future. “This week he is doing it again,” Golan wrote.
Golan also took aim at Netanyahu’s frequent references to “Siyata Dishmaya,” Divine assistance, particularly during Israel’s recent wars.
“Someone who speaks in the media about ‘Siyata Dishmaya’ during an existential war cannot disrespect Shabbos, the source of blessing for the Jewish people,” Golan wrote, concluding his criticism with the word, “Shame.”
This is not the first time Golan has criticized Netanyahu over Shabbos observance. In February 2025, he slammed the Prime Minister’s Office for releasing non-urgent statements on Shabbos, claiming that the governments of Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett had issued fewer such statements.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
One Response
A Chillul H-shem! (A desecration of HaKad-sh BoruchH-‘s Holy Name on Shabbes). It only goes to show that a sitting Zionist politician has no scruples when it comes to Shabbes Laws. Could it be that he, Natanyahu, doesn’t know that Shabbes Laws must be obeyed strictly? H-shem is harmed when H-s Torah Laws are disobeyed! We must do TESHUVA for Jews who fail to put H-shem above all other considerations and show H-m that we Torah Observant will Bracha and pray for H-s Name above all other names. That Shabbes with be Observed Strictly by us and that those who fail to put Shabbes and Yom Tovim above all other considerations are to be judged by G-D seriously.