The analyst said that Netanyahu has no real incentive to release the hostages (European News Agency)
Haaretz newspaper said that the Israeli Television Regulatory Authority opened an investigation against Channel 13 due to a comment by one of its analysts in which he asserted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “does not want the hostages (held in the Gaza Strip) to return alive.”
The newspaper explained that the decision of the authority - which regulates and supervises commercial broadcasting in Israel - came after a comment by analyst Gil Tamari yesterday, Monday, on Channel 13’s morning newscast, during a discussion about negotiations on a new prisoner exchange deal with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
Tamari, who is known for his criticism of Netanyahu and his right-wing government, said, "I said a month ago that Netanyahu has no real incentive to release the hostages. He wants them to die as martyrs for his own reasons."
He added, "We must remember that he opposes the deal that was actually approved by the head of the Mossad, and he was the one who allowed him to conclude such a deal... Netanyahu does not want to return the hostages alive. We have to understand this and accept it."
Tamari later appeared on the same channel and apologized for his previous comment, and said, “I want to retract what I said, in which I implied that the prime minister wants to kill the hostages. Despite the very harsh criticism I directed at Netanyahu and the government, and without detracting from that criticism, my choice of words was unsuccessful. No.” “I truly believe that Netanyahu wants the hostages dead, and I regret my statements.”
The channel announced the arrest of the analyst for a few days because of his statements, but that did not prevent the Television Broadcasting Regulatory Authority from continuing its investigation, which may lead to imposing a financial penalty on the channel.
The newspaper "Haaretz" quoted a statement from the Likud Party led by Netanyahu, published after Tamari's apology, which said, "While Prime Minister Netanyahu has already released 110 hostages and is working to release the others, Gil Tamari dares to say that the Prime Minister wants the hostages to die. Hamas does not "It needs its own media if it has Channel 13."
Source: Haaretz