Against the backdrop of calls on opposition parties to join a unity government, the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid, made it clear today (Tuesday) that he opposes the possibility and emphasized that there is no future for cooperation with the coalition. In his statements, he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, "It will not be a unity government – it will be a government of submission."
"Even good and principled people are wandering these days and saying, 'A unity government is preferable. Lapid and Gantz will enter instead of Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir and that will be the end of it,'" Lapid said in a post on Facebook. "Out of great despair, it sounds like a solution to them. We will join the government, and the exhausting turmoil will finally come to an end."
"And then what? Because the day after this government is formed, the citizens of Israel will see that it's not unity, but submission. It won't really be a unity government, but yet another Netanyahu government," Lapid clarified. "All the wonderful patriots who are now marching in the streets wrapped in the Israeli flag will see us, their representatives in the Knesset, standing and pledging loyalty to Netanyahu. We will become Netanyahu's ministers, reporting to Netanyahu, obeying the policies he dictates – if he feels like telling us what those policies are."
According to him, "Unity is nice for the opening ceremony, but afterwards, there is a government, and there is someone who leads it, and everyone else is subservient to him. In the whole world, it will be understood that there is no longer an opposition to Netanyahu in Israel. They will understand that we all think that Netanyahu is a worthy leader and accept his corrupt values on ourselves. There will be no other way to understand this government."
"The word 'unity' will disappear from the lexicon after five minutes. After that, we will be in a government led by a corrupt defendant, who prefers his personal interests over the good of the country," claimed Lapid. "It's a government that draws its power from a poison machine funded by billionaires abroad. A government for which Channel 14 'Freeing Yigal Amir' is its official communication channel. A government that has no problem with convicted criminals or with racism and messianism (you don't really think he will agree to part with Deri and Karhi, right?). We will be led by a prime minister who we all know despises democracy, has no problem inciting and dividing."
"From that moment on, everything will be written on our name as well. Dudi Amsalem's racist monologues will not stop; we will just have to sit there and pretend that we agree because he will be our partner," he added. "The so-called 'Draft Law' will be deceitful and despicable, simply exempting young ultra-Orthodox from any obligation, and we won't be able to explain to our children why we are part of this."
"The budgets and jobs for the cronies will continue to flow, because we cannot expect them to commit political suicide; that's something expected only from us. Of course, the budgets for the settlements will also continue, and we will turn a blind eye to the violence of the extremist settlers because we are there with them. We are just as responsible as they are. Or maybe we won't turn a blind eye; we'll just mutter something about 'influencing from within,' which is the constant submission slogan of anyone who joins a corrupt and manipulative government."
"So, this is the reason why Yesh Atid will not join Netanyahu's government: because we are in politics due to our values. Because we believe in integrity. Because the solution to a government that destroys the country is not to join it, but to fight against it," summarized Lapid. "This country needs healing like air to breathe, but for that to happen, this bad government needs to disappear from the world. Our role is to be a better, more honest alternative, fighting for liberal values, for the Israeli middle class, for democracy. Yes, it's a tough struggle, but submission is not the way to win it. Determination, on the other hand, is."