Political commentator Itamar Fleischman addressed on Wednesday morning, during Channel 14’s morning show hosted by Tal Meir, the dramatic disclosure made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his interview on The Patriots, in which Netanyahu stated that Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel visited Israel shortly before the October 7 massacre—yet the prime minister remains unaware of who met with him during that visit.
2+“The Prime Minister of Israel does not know who the Egyptian intelligence chief met before October 7. I can hardly believe I’m uttering this sentence,” Meir remarked. Fleischman responded that the admission is “an entirely dramatic statement,” which directly aligns with messaging emanating from Netanyahu and the Likud party in recent weeks. Fleischman questioned why the identities of those who met the senior Egyptian official have remained concealed from the public until now: “I think we must ask ourselves why the media hasn’t told us who was on that plane meeting with Abbas Kamel. I believe they know the answer, and I believe I know the answer as well.”
Nonetheless, Fleischman emphasized that he will refrain from publishing names until the individual in question or journalistic sources officially report it: “Until the person who was there on that plane steps forward and says it themselves, or a mainstream network journalist explains why this happened, we may never know for certain.” According to Fleischman, an unmistakable shift has emerged in Netanyahu’s public rhetoric over recent weeks. “This is the first time he isn’t speaking in traditional statesmanlike tones. I haven’t heard him speak like this in the last two or three weeks,” Fleischman noted, pointing to the prime minister’s explicit use of the term “deep state” and the Likud’s direct attacks against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
2+Fleischman said this shift was triggered by persistent allegations that Netanyahu should be held accountable for the October 7 disaster. “From the moment they began accusing him of treason over October 7, I believe he recognized that there must be an aggressive response—and that he actually has a case,” he argued.
Fleischman subsequently urged former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to step forward publicly and present his detailed account of the events preceding the massacre. “Come out and speak; explain precisely what occurred. We would be very glad to hear it,” he stated, noting that elements on the political left have exerted “immense pressure” on Bar in recent weeks to break his silence.
2+On Tuesday evening, Netanyahu addressed the allegations surrounding the Egyptian intelligence official’s visit during a special interview with Yinon Magal on The Patriots. Netanyahu categorically denied meeting Kamel, saying he was attending an IDF memorial service at that time. “He did not meet with me, because I was attending a memorial service for fallen IDF soldiers. Therefore, this claim was a falsehood from the outset,” the prime minister stated. He then posed the central question that he insists remains unanswered: “For heaven’s sake, I am the Prime Minister of Israel. The intelligence minister of Egypt was here—I want to know who he met with? I do not know.”
Netanyahu called for the public release of security camera footage documenting the visit to reveal the identities of those involved: “There are cameras, there is documentation, and I want to know the truth—because the truth is not that I was the one who met him.” The prime minister concluded with a severe charge: “Whoever met with him is attempting to stitch this onto me.”