Ex-Israeli PM Barak urges civil disobedience to topple Netanyahu

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has called for nationwide protests to remove Benjamin Netanyahu, telling Channel 13 the current leader has "declared war on Israel."

Barak demanded Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara force Netanyahu's recusal, referencing a delayed High Court ruling from January that blocked legislation protecting the PM from removal.

Netanyahu's Likud party fired back, accusing Barak of hypocrisy given his documented meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 2013-2017.

The Wall Street Journal reported their continued association even after Epstein's 2008 prostitution conviction.

Epstein's 2019 arrest reignited scrutiny of Barak's ties during that year's election campaign. The financier died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges uncovered by the Miami Herald.