Yesh Atid Party Lawmaker Likens Netanyahu to Hitler Days Before Israel's Election

A Yesh Atid party lawmaker said Saturday "I am not comparing [the two]; Hitler rose to power democratically," and added "Among the first laws Hitler made, if not the first, was the abolishment of the Supreme Court," in response to a question on the Netanyahu-led bloc's plans should it win Israel's Knesset election next week.

"After that he made all the other laws that brought Germany to the place it eventually found itself in," said Yesh Atid MK Ram Ben Barak of Hitler, adding "We need to preserve our democracy."

Ben Barak, chairman of the outgoing Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee tweeted later "To be clear – I do not compare and will never compare anyone in the State of Israel or in the world to Hitler. The attempt to present this as a comparison is incorrect, and I am sorry if anyone tries to present it that way."

In August, Ben Barak attributed mental issues to Benjamin Netanyahu. He apologized shortly thereafter.

In response to a question on a security meeting between Netanyahu and Yair Lapid regarding Israel's special operation Breaking Dawn in Gaza last August, Ben Barak commented "I was very happy to see Prime Minister Lapid sitting on the right side of the table and opposition leader Netanyahu on the other side. It calmed me down."

Ben Barak accused Netanyahu of withholding credit from his ministers as prime minister, saying "It's hard for him in these situations, and we understand. He has mental problems of one sort or another."

"As long as he's in the opposition, everything is ok," Ben Barak added.