After the conclusion of the fast, former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expressed support for the left-wing protesters who disrupted the annual prayers throughout the city of Tel Aviv. He accused the organizers of the prayers of being "messianic and racist."
Opposition Leader Lapid began the fast with a recorded statement in response to the challenging events in which left-wing protesters disrupted prayer events throughout the city of Tel Aviv. In his statement, Lapid criticized the organizers of the prayers and the worshippers praying with men and women separated. He did not take a stance against the disruption of the prayers by left-wing activists, even though the prayers have consistently been held separately throughout the city of Tel Aviv in recent years, even during Lapid's own tenure as Prime Minister.
