Lapid: We need to get Netanyahu out of office

Lapid arriving at the opposition bloc meeting. Photo: Kikar Hashabbat

Former prime minister Yair Lapid arrived Tuesday morning at a meeting of opposition bloc leaders at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya and delivered a sharp statement before entering. "We are facing a serious and dangerous attempt to harm the election results," Lapid said. "We must form a government ... the conduct of recent days is just another reminder that we need to get Netanyahu out of the Prime Minister's Office."

The meeting, which began at 11:30, is the first of its kind since election results were published. Attending are Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan and Yair Lapid, aiming to coordinate the bloc's moves.

The meeting takes place against the backdrop of the political deadlock created by the election results, with the opposition bloc unable to reach 61 seats without support from the chareidi or Arab parties. Partial results put Netanyahu at 53 seats and Eisenkot at 48.

The gathering comes after a week of tension within the bloc. Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman leveled sharp criticism at Yashar! chairman Gadi Eisenkot, claiming "the opposition failed miserably. The responsibility lies with Gadi Eisenkot, who ran a selfish campaign." According to him, "we lost between seven and eight seats in the final ten days."

Eisenkot said in closed conversations that he will not sit in a government under Benjamin Netanyahu. He added that "if Trump calls me I will honor the president and come, but I will insist this is an internal Israeli matter and will prevent interference."

Meanwhile, Liberman revealed that since the election results he has met with figures from both political blocs. "Since the elections I've met with everyone who's anyone. Both in the opposition and in the coalition," he said. He also addressed the situation in Netanyahu's bloc: "Deri isn't answering Bibi, and United Torah Judaism says it won't sit in a government with Netanyahu."

Liberman sent another message Tuesday morning calling for swift action to prevent another election round. "We must prevent another election," he declared. "In the political situation that has been created there is enough room to maneuver, and with proper navigation we can quickly establish a functioning and stable government without Ra'am and the Joint List."

Political sources estimate that analyzing the existing political situation, ruling out the Arab option on one hand and aspiring to form a stable government on the other, leaves the opposition bloc with essentially one main option: forming a government that relies on including the chareidi parties.

Following this, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent an unequivocal message of support for Shas chairman Aryeh Deri. "Aryeh Deri has stood firm for years against the unbridled attacks of the media and the left who want to crush Shas," Netanyahu wrote. "Now, in hypocrisy that cries out to heaven, they are willing to offer the chareidim heaven and earth so they will join them."

Netanyahu emphasized that "Aryeh Deri and Shas are important partners of mine and of the right-wing bloc in leading the state, and Aryeh Deri contributes greatly in the cabinet to Israel's security."

Senior figures in the opposition bloc are trying in recent days to build a political safety net that would allow them to form a government without Netanyahu. As reported by Kikar Hashabbat, the plan includes United Torah Judaism abstaining from voting in the government's swearing-in, except for Yoav Seglovitz from Ra'am who would include active support for the government, and without opposition from the Joint List.