Lapid slams “incompetent” government for allegedly endangering security, announces he’s very “worried.” Likud notes opposition leader’s deal with Lebanon, violence and rioting during his time in office.
By World Israel News Staff
The Likud party blasted Opposition Leader Yair Lapid for making comments slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and casting doubt on the premier’s ability to ensure national security, after he was invited as a courtesy to a security briefing.
Following a tense week in which Israel sustained rocket fire from three different fronts and three civilians were killed in terror attacks, Netanyahu invited Lapid for an update about the security situation and ongoing efforts to restore calm to the country.
But rather than conveying that opposition and coalition parties are cooperating on critical matters of national security, Lapid chose to castigate the prime minister for what he said was an “incompetent government.”
Speaking on TV, Lapid said that “I arrived [to the meeting] worried, and I left even more worried.
“What our enemies in all arenas see is an unfit government. A cabinet nobody trusts. A defense minister on probation who was fired for speaking the truth. A national security minister who leaks recordings of the police chief. A finance minister who says he wants to wipe out villages.”
Referring to the Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Lapid urged Netanyahu to fire the right-wing politician, who has made restoring law and order a central component of his platform.
“We can’t have a TikTok clown who has lost the trust of the police and forces in the field managing things,” Lapid said.
He failed to acknowledge a deadly wave of terror which began in March 2022 during his joint government with former prime minister Naftali Bennett or intense rioting on the Temple Mount that left police officers hospitalized.
“It is unfortunate that at a time when Israel is fighting on three fronts and after… Netanyahu invited him for a comprehensive security update, Yair Lapid chooses to engage in petty politics instead of broadcasting a message of unreserved unity against our enemies,” the Likud Party responded in a statement.
The party also referenced Lapid’s controversial gas deal with Lebanon, which may have provided a pathway for millions of dollars in funding for the Hezbollah terror group. Watchdog groups have also argued in court that as temporary prime minister, Lapid did not have the authority to make a decision with such wide-reaching implications for the country.
“At a time when [Hezbollah head Hassan] Nasrallah and [Hamas chair Ismail] Haniyeh sit together under the portrait of their Iranian patron calling for our destruction, the leader of the opposition was expected to show national responsibility,” the Likud said.