The leaked recordings of former Defense Minister Ehud Barak commenting on sensitive security affairs are continuing to cause unrest in the Israeli political world. On Monday, more recordings were published, and they included criticism by Barak of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Gilad Schalit swap deal in 2011. "The image is more important to him than the deed," Barak said of Netanyahu. Likud officials responded to Barak's assertion with disgust. "Barak is pathetic," a Likud official said. "His attempts to return to the public stage have crossed all lines -- he has slandered the prime minister, rewritten events to glorify himself, unraveled norms of national responsibility and damaged the vital interests of the State of Israel. "Netanyahu did not need Barak to make the decision of the Schalit deal. Netanyahu is the one who decided to make the deal and got the government to approve it, just as he later ordered the rearrest of those released in the Schalit deal who tried to return to terrorism, which was after Barak was no longer defense minister. "Netanyahu did just fine before Barak [was defense minister] and after Barak [was defense minister]. The only person who is not fine is Barak himself, who is pathetically looking for any way possible to return to public life, due to his inflated ego." In the recordings published on Monday, Barak told the authors of his new biography that Netanyahu had initially opposed the Schalit deal, but later changed his mind due to pressure applied on him by Barak. "In the end, he was convinced [to back the Schalit deal], but he was not convinced to do the necessary follow-up [the adoption of the Shamgar Commission recommendations on prisoner exchanges], and this led to the kidnapping of the three teens [in Gush Etzion in June 2015]." Regarding the ceremony at the Tel Nof airbase on the day of Schalit's release, Barak said, "Everything was focused on one thing -- that the very first picture of this kid coming down [off the plane] would be with only Bibi in the frame. "Bibi has a very strong sense that the picture [and] the word is more important than the deed." Barak also described Netanyahu as "embarrassingly petty."
