Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was so enraged by war cabinet minister Benny Gantz’s current overseas trip to the US and UK that, according to Israeli television on Tuesday, the PM’s Office ordered the embassy in London not to help with any aspect of Gantz’s visit, including matters pertaining to his security.
The military censorship placed restrictions on the Channel 12 news story that prevented it from going into detail about what was at stake. The network stated that “reasons that are not clear to us” led to the implementation of the restrictions. But after the control was reportedly relaxed, the network later made more information available.According to the amended report, Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to Britain, gave the order to her staff not to help the Shin Bet with any security arrangements for Gantz’s visit, including transportation and logging.Channel 12’s Dana Weiss clearly strained to explain what was happening without going against censorship, thus she did not bring up the Shin Bet in her original story during the main evening program.
Weiss claimed that the directive to Hotovely included help in obtaining undefined “permissions,” in addition to the “logistical assistance” that the network subsequently elaborated on. She pointed out that Gantz was on a very delicate trip at a time when he was a member of the war cabinet, a former chief of staff, and a minister of defense.The report emphasized that Gantz’s security would remain unaffected since certain undisclosed preparations were handled by Gantz’s own staff and the relevant Israeli institution, who in turn coordinated them with the British authorities.
The TV report stated that the Foreign Ministry was silent on the matter. The Office of the Prime Minister refuted any involvement. Weiss claimed that the military censor would not allow her to identify the pertinent organization, thus she chose not to publicize the Shin Bet’s response. The network reported that the Shin Bet declined to comment in the amended report that was posted on its website.A ticker at the bottom of the screen, displayed by Channel 12 during the TV broadcast, showed the following two statements: “Minister Gantz’s visit to London: PM to the Israeli Embassy: Do not help with the security coordination” and “Minister Gantz’s visit to London: PMO instructed embassy not to help with any aspect.”
