"Unforgivable failure". Netanyahu heard "no". Chaos in Israel
Jair Lapid, former Prime Minister of Israel and current leader of one of the opposition parties, delivered strong accusations against Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Thursday. In his statement, which he passed on to the Times of Israel, Lapid described the government's actions as an "unforgivable failure".
9:04 AM EDT, October 13, 2023
Lapid definitively rejected the possibility of joining the government, which is to be formed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of the National Unity Party, Benny Gantz.
He justified his decision by expressing a lack of trust in the effectiveness of such a government. He pointed out three main reasons for his skepticism: the presence of "extremists" in the government, a lack of clear division of competencies in security structures, which are to be filled in duplicate, and participation in the government of those responsible for the "unforgivable failure" in preventing a Hamas attack, which started on a Saturday and escalated into an armed conflict.
Accusations against the former Prime Minister of Israel
Lapid also added that his party, There is a Future (Yesh Atid), will support war efforts from outside, but does not intend to vote against the Knesset's approval of five ministers from the National Unity Party, who are to join Netanyahu's government on Thursday.
He emphasized, however, that it is necessary to remove "extremists" from the new cabinet. He did not directly indicate who he meant, but he suggested that he had in mind the far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the independent finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. According to Lapid, the presence of these people in the government makes decision-making difficult.
Ben Gwir and Smotricz are members of the security cabinet. The unity government also plans to establish a smaller war cabinet, which will have the authority to determine war policy and issue operational and strategic directives to security forces. Lapid critically assessed this proposal, calling it a "structure that cannot work, it will only increase the mess", because "instead of one cabinet, there will be two that will clash with each other".
The former prime minister also commented on the events of the past Sabbath, calling it an unprecedented failure. He added that those "who have suffered it, cannot fix it".
They want to form a national unity government
The proposal to form a national unity government was presented on Tuesday by Likud, Prime Minister Netanyahu's party, despite protests from coalition minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
The government and the opposition in Israel have been arguing for months about the reform of the justice system, which the ruling party is pushing for. Critics of this reform argue that it will lead the country towards authoritarian rule, while its supporters believe it is necessary, as they believe the justice system has too much power.
