Yoav Horowitz, former director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office and current founding member of Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party, told Channel 12 on Friday about his experiences with the Netanyahu family and his decision to re-enter politics in recent years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Horowitz as his chief of staff in May 2016, bringing him into government service from his former job as CEO of Avis Israel. The two men go back a number of years, with Horowitz having served in a senior position on Netanyahu’s 2006 campaign in the Likud primaries.
Horowitz announced his resignation from the post in the Netanyahu government in June 2019. He even went on to attend weekly anti-Netanyahu protests after the government announced its intention to reform the country's judicial system, giving the coalition significant power over the High Court.
"I went because I see the attempt to destroy the judicial system as the root of all evil, which ultimately also led to October 7," he said.
'My children and yours deserve honest leadership'
Horowitz told Channel 12 that his decision to return to politics was heavily influenced by the October 7 Massacre and its aftermath. His three sons were all called to reserve duty when the war broke out, each serving on the front lines.
"They were fighting in places with the highest level of friction," he said. "Like thousands of other families, you wait for the knock on the door, and the worst scenarios run through your mind. The very worst."
"My children and yours deserve honest leadership," Horowitz added. "Leadership that takes responsibility, leadership that sets a personal example in everything, preferably modest leadership. Leadership that says, 'Forward, charge,' and people follow it."
The former chief of staff also explained that the level of loyalty required of government employees by the Netanyahu family was, in his opinion, inappropriate.
"The demand for personal loyalty was hanging over the place all the time, a kind of obsession," he told Channel 12. At one point, he was told that a large number of people working under him would have to sign a written declaration of loyalty to the Netanyahu family. He confronted the prime minister about it, and was told: "Do what you were asked to do."
"The family's influence is significant," Horowitz emphasized to Channel 12. "There is no separation. Everything is connected to everything: personal matters, financial matters, political matters and security matters."
Herb Keinon contributed to this report.