Shamir retracts remarks about PM’s ‘zigzags’

No. 4 on the Likud Beytenu list Yair Shamir apologizes for criticizing Netanyahu and Liberman, saying he was misunderstood.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Yair Shamir 370 (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Yair Shamir 370
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Yair Shamir, No. 4 on the joint Likud Beytenu list, apologized on Friday after criticizing the heads of the two parties.
Early Friday, Shamir said at a political event in Or Yehuda: “A public figure, including [Yisrael Beytenu leader and former foreign minister] Avigdor Liberman, that stumbled while serving in his position, should resign from political life and not serve in the Knesset. It doesn’t matter if [his crime] carries moral turpitude or not.”
Liberman was indicted last week for breach of trust and fraud in the Belarus Ambassador Affair.
Shamir also accused Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of “zigzagging” in order to please voters.“Two states is not in the Likud platform. He made the Bar-Ilan speech [in favor of a two-state solution], which was not approved by Likud institutions or by the Israeli government at the time, because of external pressures,” Shamir explained.
Later on Friday, Shamir apologized, saying he was misunderstood.
“I respect the prime minister, and as I said, he is a talented and brilliant man,” he stated. “I have no doubt that the Likud Beytenu list led by Binyamin Netanyahu will form the next government.”