Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, has been called back to Jerusalem to face a disciplinary hearing over comments he made during a podcast interview, the country’s foreign ministry confirmed on Sunday.
Leiter appeared on a podcast hosted by the right-wing American media outlet PragerU, where he criticised opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing them of making “blood libels” against the Israeli leader.
His remarks have drawn significant attention and triggered disciplinary action from within the Israeli government.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, May 25, Director General Eden Bar-Tal will conduct a hearing with the ambassador in line with instructions from the Civil Service Commission’s Discipline Department.
While Leiter holds a political appointment and was chosen by Netanyahu himself, it is generally expected that Israeli diplomats avoid public political commentary, especially on partisan matters.
During the podcast, Leiter claimed that “extremists on the left” and much of the Israeli media were attempting to unseat Netanyahu, describing their actions as a “calumny” and invoking the term “blood libels” to characterise the intensity and perceived malice of their opposition.
He also labelled as “insanity” the accusation that Netanyahu is prolonging the Gaza conflict to cling to power, adding, “How dare they say something as malicious as that?”
These remarks come during growing domestic criticism of Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war.
A recent poll from Israel’s Channel 12 News revealed that 55 per cent of the public believe the prime minister is prioritising his political survival over ending the conflict or securing the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Leiter, who previously served as an adviser to Netanyahu, hails originally from the United States and resided in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.
His connection to the ongoing conflict is especially poignant; his son, Moshe Leiter, was killed in combat in Gaza in November 2023.
