In the video: opposition leader Yair Lapid in an interview for his weekend/Tsailum stills: Reuven Castro
The negotiations for the hostage deal have reached an impasse, the US makes it clear that Israel will have to work hard to bring about their return - and the chairman of the opposition and former prime minister, Yair Lapid, all of this is probably not surprising.
In his view, the prime minister's efforts to complete the deal and return the abductees are far from enough, and are deeply affected by his political dependence on ministers Itamar Ben Gabir and Bezalel Smotrich.
"Is the government doing everything to return the abductees? The answer is no," Lapid declares in an interview with Walla Studio. She cannot afford to pay them, because of Smotrich and Ben Gvir. Netanyahu formed a government with crazy people. I am not convinced, and there is no way to be convinced, that the political consideration is not part of the decision-making regarding the abductees."
"They are crazy, the political consideration affects the contacts for the abductee deal."
Smotrich and Ben Gvir/image processing, Reuven Castro
"If they did everything, the abductees would already be at home."
The families of the abductees near the hospital in The Hague, yesterday/official website, the headquarters of the families
In the interview, Lapid refers to the ministers of the state camp, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, and their influence on the government's moves as members of the war cabinet.
"I really don't understand why the state camp is still there," he says. The delegation to Cairo. So what are they doing there? Their main influence is that they keep Netanyahu in power."
"In 2025, we may conduct this interview in another bureau."
Lapid in Walla studio/Reuven Castro
"I understand the sentiment that made them enter the government, but they are ineffective."
Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot/photo processing, Reuven Castro, Noam Rivkin Fenton - Flash 90
Lapid also refers in the interview to the new recruitment law promoted by the government, which he called this week the "evasion law".
"For too many years this issue was treated from the political side. They didn't want to upset the ultra-orthodox parties - but those who live on their knees, also die on their knees. The question here is not complex: Is there logic in our children fighting and dying, and their children not? The answer is negative. This has to stop. One of the things we learned the hard way on October 7th is that we don't have enough of a military. To sum it up in a catchphrase: We have too big a government, and too small a military. We need the opposite. The military is going to grow dramatically, And it is not possible for 17 percent of the ultra-Orthodox sector to be deducted from each recruitment cycle. There is no need to extend regular service, and there is no need to raise the age of release from reserves. The burden needs to be shared. They need to protect their homeland, just as we protect it."
"We have a government that is too big, and an army that is too small. It should be the opposite."
IDF forces in the Gaza Strip/IDF spokesman
"It is important that they protect their homeland, as we protect."
Haredim recruitment at the Tel Hashomer base, last December/Reuven Castro
Lapid, as opposition leader who also served as prime minister, finds himself between a rock and a hard place at this time. It can be argued that he does not sound strong enough, befitting a belligerent opposition leader - certainly compared to the bitterness that Netanyahu, if he had been opposition leader, would surely have feeds him. But he himself, of course, thinks otherwise. "It doesn't interest me.
I don't want to be Netanyahu when I grow up.
I do not behave like him, these are not my values, and there is not one lesson I want to learn from him in political conduct.
I have to lead an opposition during wartime, against an incompetent government and an incompetent prime minister.
I don't have simple solutions, and in front of the data we make the right decisions.
We will sit down to talk about it again in 2025, and maybe then we will sit down in a different office.
"
More on the same topic:
Gaza war
War of Iron Swords
abducted
Yair Lapid