Yair Lapid, the leader of Israel’s opposition, denounced the “extremist and failed government” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, blaming it for the country’s current precarious position.
In an essay published in Foreign Affairs on the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas, Lapid let loose some of his most scathing criticisms of Netanyahu’s government yet, buoyed by the possible end of the war in Gaza. Lapid blames the current government for trashing Israel’s diplomatic position in the world, harming its relationship with the United States, failing to combat rising antisemitism, harming Israel’s democratic foundations, failing to respond to Hamas’s surprise attack properly, and more.
“Israel is not a failed state. It is a great state with a failed government. Its foundations remain strong. Israel is undeniably in crisis, but the source of the crisis is not structural. It is political,” Lapid wrote.
He contrasted the current situation Israel has found itself in with three years ago, when the country was normalizing relations with the Arab world, boasted world-class research and business fields, and “blended a profound philosophical and historical depth with the best of modernity.” . . .
“The crisis is the result of an extremist and failed government, led by a prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is implicated in criminal cases and has lost the support of the Israeli public. His years in power have corrupted him and those around him. This government is openly contemptuous of the principle of a democratic State of Israel committed to Western liberal values. In its place, it seeks to install a theocratic and illiberal regime, one that is exempt from media scrutiny and free of the nuisance of concepts such as the rule of law and the constant threat of free and fair elections,” Lapid ruled. (Read more from “Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid Denounces ‘Extremist and Failed Government,’ Calls for ‘New Direction’” HERE)
