Following the conclusion of Likud's primary elections, opposition leader Yair Lapid has issued a sharp critique of the party's leadership, arguing that the movement has completely lost its political and moral compass.
In a social media post, he recalled how his relationship with Likud members has changed over the years. "I used to congratulate Likud on its party day," he wrote. "The day before, I'd call two or three Knesset members to wish them luck. The day after, I'd specifically call those who lost, knowing that silence is the worst thing. Not anymore. Who would I call? Silman? Karhi? I have no friends left there, and nothing remains of the idea of normal relations between political rivals."
The opposition leader added that the public and political atmosphere within the party has undergone a complete transformation: "I find myself missing hypocrisy ... At least it made people try to behave politely toward one another. Instead, we now have people who take the podium and curse and say terrible racist things because they know this is their party now."
Lapid argued that the party urgently needs a change in political status. "Beyond responsibility for October 7th, beyond the corruption and rot and shameful surrender to the ultra-Orthodox, beyond the attempt to trample democracy, there's another simple truth: Likud needs a break from power. After nearly forty years in government, what happens to anyone who stays on top too long has happened to Likud. It has been corrupted. In fact, what happened to Netanyahu has happened to it: it started young and ideological and interesting, and slowly deteriorated until it became everything it once hated."
Lapid presented his view of what he sees as the party's current lack of purpose. "We united 'Yachad' because we want to fix and rebuild a Jewish-liberal democracy based on education and technological progress," he explained. "There are people on the right because they believe in a free economy and Greater Israel, there are those on the left who believe in peace and human rights, but what does the current Likud actually want? What is its purpose? What connects Almog Cohen to Yariv Levin, or Amsalem to Eli Cohen? Do they have a shared dream? Is there a change they want to make in the world? Clearly not."
