Tel-Chai Nation

The prime minister visited Tel Aviv's notable market and got a warm welcome there. However, there was also one unfortunate moment where a young woman threw a tomato at him:

A woman was filmed on Tuesday evening throwing a tomato at Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his visit to the Hatikva Market in Tel Aviv.

The Blue and White party rushed to condemn the incident, with party chairman Benny Gantz tweeting, "I strongly condemn the throwing of tomatoes at Binyamin Netanyahu at the Hatikva Market. Israel needs unity - not violence."

The Likud party, however, was not impressed by the condemnation and hinted that elements related to Gantz's party were behind the incident and its documentation.

"99.9% support for Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Hatikva Market was very disturbing to Benny Gantz, so he released to the media a clip showing the other 0.1% - and then he was quick to condemn it. Such hypocrisy!" the Likud said.

"After accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu of betraying the country and spreading the false plot about the bots that collapsed after two hours, [Yair] Lapid and Gantz continue to wage a false and ugly campaign, while they speak about statesmanship and new politics. They ought to be embarrassed,” added the party.

This is interesting that Gantz and company appear to have gotten the footage so quickly. So, could it have been staged? Good question, but no easy answers. The woman was arrested and detained by police, but seems to be getting off easy:

A young woman who threw a tomato at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday during a campaign stop in Tel Aviv was arrested and questioned by police, then released later in the day, after investigators concluded her motive was not political.

The woman, identified only as an 18-year-old resident of Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood, failed to hit the prime minister with the tomato, as he was surrounded by a large number of police and security guards during a tour of the Hatikva Shuk with his wife, Sara, ahead of general elections next week.

The tomato thrower is known to authorities as suffering from a mental illness, according to multiple media reports.

“She didn’t do it from any political motive. She doesn’t quite know who’s who on the political side,” a police source told the Walla news site after the woman’s release. “It’s clear to us she had no political opinion or motive.”

Oh please. This sounds too easy, and mental illness has become a very convenient excuse. If they're letting her off the hook simply because of the politics involved, that's hugely disappointing.

Fortunately, it doesn't take away much at all from the otherwise positive visit to the market, which is very impressive, far more than the cold reception Gantz got at Jerusalem's own market near Agrippas Street.

Labels: Israel, Knesset, Moonbattery, political corruption