Bereaved Father Hagai Lober Calls for Unity Government

Hagai Lober, a bereaved father whose son Yehonatan fell, on Sunday called on parties in Israel's change bloc to join Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a broad unity government rather than help form a government with the Arab parties.

The appeal follows Lober's disclosure last week that he had voted for Netanyahu for the first time in his life, Srugim reported.

In his message, he addressed the change bloc, the parties opposed to Netanyahu, directly. "Join him! My friends in the change bloc, who were my support after the fall of my son Yehonatan. Where are you? You cried with me at the funeral. You sat beside me during the shiva. On the holidays you made sure to send me messages of comfort. And again and again you asked me the same question: Is there anything we can do for you to ease your pain, even a little?"

"And I always gave you the same answer: Make sure my son Yehonatan's death was not in vain. Do not agree to any move that will divide the people. And you promised. Why are you silent now? Don't you see that the government you are forming is, for half the people, the fulfillment of every nightmare? Do you really not understand the strength of the opposition that will rise, this time from the right?"

Lober warned that the tactics used during the protests against the judicial reform could return. "Aren't you horrified by the return of the terrible acts committed at the protests against the reform: road blockades, violence against Knesset members and police officers, and refusals to report for reserve duty? Because everything will be kosher in the war against 'the terrible government of the Arabs.'"

"And from there, the road is short to a war between brothers and the destruction of the state. You can prevent this!" he wrote. He urged them to go to Gadi, to Naftali Bennett and to Avigdor Liberman "with a cry and a plea."

"Bang on the table, threaten that you will resign and that you will not lend a hand to a move that will destroy us from within! Force Gadi to enter negotiations with Bibi to form a broad unity government. And even though it isn't written in the talking points, and even though it goes against the professional advisers, join Elisha Medan's tent and raise your voice for unity and connection."

He concluded: "Because if you continue your silence, the destruction of the state will be on your hands."