Israel Police has opened an investigation into claims made by three Likud ministers against Yaakov Bardugo, a close political advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a media personality on Channel 14 and Galey Israel radio station. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi claimed that Bardugo was blackmailing and threatening them. Bardugo has issued a general denial of these allegations.

None of the ministers has filed a police complaint, and after the announcement that a police investigation had been opened, Karhi and Zohar quickly issued statements claiming that the allegations they raised did not involve criminal behavior by Bardugo. The ministers also did not provide specific details about their serious accusations, leaving them vague. The final impression created was of an attempt to establish a balance of power involving blackmail threats between the ministers and Netanyahu's close advisor.

The Likud ministers' fear of a police investigation is understandable both against the backdrop of the campaign led by Netanyahu's Likud against the law enforcement system, and in light of Netanyahu's defense claims in the his criminal trial, in which he is accused of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. At the center of the charges against him are allegations of bribery deals between the Prime Minister and media owners. Netanyahu, for his part, claims that such deals are legal and acceptable.

As mentioned, the Likud ministers did not detail how Bardugo attempted to blackmail them, but since he is not known as a violent offender, it appears that his position of power lies in the media: being a so called "Senior Political Commentator" in the leading pro-Netanyahu media outlets that appeal to these ministers' voter base (channel 14 and Galey Israel). A police investigation in these directions could cast a particularly negative light on Netanyahu's own criminal cases.

An examination of the escalating exchanges between the ministers and Bardugo reveals that this is a conflict taking place in the media arena - this is the "crime scene" of the alleged blackmail. The confrontation includes rounds of mutual attacks that occurred almost monthly, beginning with Bardugo first attacking Miki Zohar in November 2024 regarding a political deal, and later expanding his attacks to the other ministers. The ministers, for their part, accused Bardugo of blackmail, threats, and acting from personal motives.

The confrontations escalated over time, with ministers beginning to support each other against Bardugo, now reaching their peak. The background to the dispute includes claims by the ministers that Bardugo acted from personal motives and economic interests, while Bardugo accuses the ministers of behaving in an amateurish and weak manner, failing to achieve results for the judicial overhaul initiatives.

In the background are various tensions within Likud: sources in Likud claim that Levin's popularity in the party bothers Netanyahu, and that Bardugo's attacks against him are at the Prime Minister's behest. Another conflict linked to the current confrontation is that between Economic Committee Chairman MK David Bitan and Minister Karhi. The connection between Bitan and Bardugo surfaced during Bitan's unusual media appearance with Bardugo on Channel 14 at the end of last month.

What does Bardugo want?

Ministers Levin, Zohar, and Karhi did not detail how Bardugo blackmailed them, nor what he demanded from them - except for Karhi, who was the first to raise allegations against Bardugo, saying that he wanted to shelve the bill to eliminate regional radio. Karhi claimed that Bardugo was serving Tzvi Shalom, the owner of Galey Israel and Radio-Darom radio stations, who feared the competition that would arise with the passage of the law.

Karhi repeated these claims several times. Thus, in February he tweeted: "One thing we must remember: whenever Bardugo attacks a Likud minister, it's probably only because he didn't receive some personal, self-interested thing he asked for, or because his economic interests were harmed, even when the right-wing public is the beneficiary."

Last week (May 8), Sefi Ovadia reported in "Uvda" that three years ago, Bardugo approached Zohar, when he was co-chairman of the World Likud, to help push his nephew Elad Bardugo's candidacy for the position of legal advisor to the JNF. About six months ago, Bardugo again approached Zohar, who was already serving as Minister of Culture and Sports, in an attempt to promote a large production company to work with the ministry.

Two days earlier (May 6), Yaron Avraham reported on Channel 12 News that Bardugo demanded that Minister Karhi act against the right-wing channel i24news, so that it would not compete with Channel 14, and against the FreeTv project by Keshet, and that he expressed interest in the position of chairman of the Public Broadcasting Corporation Council. According to Avraham's report, Bardugo demanded that Minister Levin promote a series of appointments in the Ministry of Justice.