A public dispute between MK Merav Ben Ari of Yesh Atid and MK Moshe Abutbul of Shas came to an end Wednesday evening after Ben Ari formally apologized on the floor of the Knesset for incorrectly claiming that Abutbul had evaded military service.

The controversy began earlier in the day after Abutbul was interviewed on Kan Reshet Bet about the issue of chareidi military service. Shortly afterward, Ben Ari appeared on the same broadcast and, although asked about a different topic, criticized Abutbul personally.

“The man is a draft dodger. He didn’t serve in the army,” she said, adding, “And how does he even know what’s going on?”

Abutbul immediately challenged the remarks during the broadcast, insisting that he had, in fact, served in the Israel Defense Forces. He asked host Aryeh Golan to correct the record, and his military service number—3619778—was even disclosed during the program to refute Ben Ari’s accusation.

Later in the day, Abutbul condemned the remarks, saying, “Even when you have no answer, you’re not allowed to lie. This is slander worthy of a libel lawsuit.”

During Wednesday evening’s Knesset session, Ben Ari took the podium to issue a personal statement retracting her comments and apologizing publicly.

“When I’m wrong, I apologize. I also apologized personally to MK Abutbul, and he accepted my apology,” she said.

The apology brought the daylong confrontation to a close after it became clear that Ben Ari’s assertion that Abutbul had not served in the IDF was incorrect.

{Matzav.com}