Opposition leader accuses Netanyahu government of leading Israel into ‘political catastrophe’
Yair Lapid, opposition figures slam Netanyahu for prolonging Gaza war to appease far-right allies
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid
JERUSALEM/ISTANBUL
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government on Tuesday of steering the country into a “political catastrophe,” citing efforts to prolong the genocide in the Gaza Strip.
“This government has led us into a political catastrophe. One failure after another,” Lapid wrote on X. He criticized the prime minister for being “absent from the political arena” and described Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as “useless,” adding that Cabinet ministers “endanger Israeli soldiers every time they open their mouths.”
It came amid growing frustration about the continued war in Gaza and the failure to reach a deal to end it and return hostages.
The opposition and families of hostages have accused Netanyahu of yielding to the most extreme elements in his Cabinet, particularly National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. Critics have said Netanyahu is prolonging the war to preserve his governing coalition.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, said in a video statement Tuesday that Netanyahu had effectively lost control of his government.
“This is no longer Netanyahu’s government,” said Golan. “This is the government of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.”
“Smotrich and Ben-Gvir represent the most extreme fringe of Israeli society,” he said. “They are setting government policy today, sending our sons to die on the battlefield, sabotaging hostage release deals, and dragging this war on indefinitely.”
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
