Nir Barkat against Channel 12: "Consciousness engineering and distortion of facts"

A political storm has erupted following an interview with the Minister of Economy and Industry, Nir Barkat, on the 'Kikar FM' podcast from 'Kikar HaShabbat'. Following reports on Channel 12 regarding his remarks on limiting terms for the Prime Minister, the minister's spokesperson published a sharp statement accusing the media outlet of consciousness engineering and distorting his words. His office attached the transcript and the full video from the interview to present the exact context of the remarks.

In response to a question about his tenure as Mayor of Jerusalem, Barkat noted that "what you don't do in two terms, you don't do in three or four." When asked if he supports a bill to limit the Prime Minister's tenure to two terms, he replied in the affirmative: "Yes."

Nir Barkat wrote:

"There is no limit to the consciousness engineering of Channel 12. This is what I said in the next sentence, which Channel 12 made sure to omit: 'We have a Prime Minister, I support him, and I will do everything to help him.'"

When asked if he sees himself as the next Prime Minister, Barkat clarified: "We have a Prime Minister, and I support him, and I will do everything to help him. Talk to me the day after, we'll talk." After the interviewer pressed him and claimed that the answer to his ambition to lead is positive, Barkat concluded by saying: "It depends on the public."

'Kikar HaShabbat'

As recalled, earlier today (Wednesday), an article was published on N12 that sparked the minister's anger, in which it was claimed that he met with MK Yuli Edelstein as part of attempts to form a group within the Likud to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the report, the contacts between the two did not bear fruit, partly due to Barkat's demand to lead a permanent government himself. As support for the claim, the article cited his statement from the podcast where he supported term limits and declared that "what you don't do in two terms, you don't do in three or four."

On the other hand, already in the original publication, it was stated on behalf of Barkat that he did not meet with Edelstein with the goal of ousting Netanyahu. The minister's office emphasizes that the attempt to present his statements as a call to action against the incumbent Prime Minister constitutes a distortion of the facts, as Barkat explicitly clarified his support for the current Prime Minister alongside presenting his general worldview regarding term limits on public issues.