The defense minister said he has received extra security for years because of death threats.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday that he receives more death threats from the Left than the Right and has to constantly change his phone as a result of the incitement.

Speaking at the Israel Democracy Conference, Gantz said, “I change my phone every two months, and with pain I say that it’s because of attacks from the Left and not from the Right.”

The leader of the Blue and White party noted that he had extra security assigned to him ever since he agreed to join the Likud in the short-lived national unity government in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic swept into Israel.

“With the establishment of the government, Knesset members couldn’t enter various institutions and I received threats on my life,” he said.

Israel’s democratic ideals are under threat, he said.

“The toxic atmosphere in the country is unacceptable, and it stems first of all from the non-acceptance of the democratic rules of the game, and the incitement trickles down to the field,” he added, saying that he fears for the lives of MKs as well as civilians who aren’t protected like him.