Ex-Israeli PM Ehud Barak says Netanyahu must be removed ‘with sticks and stones’ ⁰

Former Israeli premier Ehud Barak has called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be removed “with sticks and stones” if he attempts to undermine the upcoming general election through military aggression against Lebanon.

“I fear Netanyahu may try to sabotage the elections, and he can do it very easily … If he tries, we will have no choice but to remove him with sticks and stones,” Barak said during an interview on Sunday.

Netanyahu, 76, has led the current coalition administration since late December 2022.

His party, Likud, has been described as the most right-wing since Israel was illegally established as a political entity on the occupied Palestinian territories in 1948.

The current term of the Israeli parliament expires in October 2026, with elections expected to be held in September or October.

Barak warned that Netanyahu “could sabotage the elections” by attacking Lebanon, which in turn would force the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, or Iran, to retaliate.

“Netanyahu wants an endless war because he understands that ending it would accelerate his trial,” Barak warned.

Netanyahu is currently standing trial on corruption charges and is also wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where Israel’s genocidal assault has killed over 72,000 Palestinians and wounded 172,000 others.

Barak condemned Netanyahu for attacking Iran, saying “Israel is paying the price for Netanyahu’s arrogance and lack of foresight,” because “none of the objectives of the war against Iran have been achieved.”

He also said that the negotiations between Washington and Tehran are “very bad” for Israel and that Netanyahu is to blame for any upcoming agreement.

The arrangements under discussion between Iran and the US are “not an agreement, but a memorandum of understanding that [fails] to address either missiles or Iran’s regional allies,” Barak said.

On Monday, the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that Tehran and Washington have finalized the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war, bringing an immediate and permanent halt to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, and terminating the US naval blockade against Iran.

The MoU, finalized late Sunday, will be signed on Friday in Switzerland.

Under its terms, the war and all military attacks, including in Lebanon, have ended immediately, and the US naval blockade of Iran has been lifted.

Further technical and political talks are expected to follow the signing to address implementation details.

Source: Presstv