Opposition leader Yair Lapid renewed his call for Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot to join his alliance with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and merge into their newly formed Together party, as he sharply criticized the government ahead of the expected Knesset dissolution vote.
The remarks were made at a faction press conference in the Knesset on Monday after the Together party dropped in the polls this past week, while Eisenkot’s Yashar! gained seats, coming up not far behind the two.
Bennett, Lapid, and Eisenkot are all part of the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, scheduled to take place no later than October 27. Eisenkot has not accepted Bennett and Lapid’s call to join their alliance and receive the second spot on their list.
‘I believe in your good intentions’
“I want to call out from here to Gadi Eisenkot. I want to say two words to him: Gadi, come. You are a man of values, a man who loves this country,” Lapid said.
“I believe in your good intentions. I respect your abilities. Come – join us. A partnership between us will win the election and save the State of Israel. For the sake of our children, Gadi, come,” he added.
His statements come amid recent tensions within the opposition about who will lead the bloc after elections. Eisenkot had reportedly proposed several weeks ago to a number of party leaders in the opposition bloc that the party to gain the largest number of seats should be the one to be in charge of forming the government after elections, according to a Sunday N12 report.
While calling on Eisenkot to join, Lapid said that he had enough experience in politics to know that Eisenkot’s addition would result in an election win for the opposition bloc.
“When I entered politics, my hair was black. Today, my hair is white. I have founded governments and political parties, and I have held every possible role,” Lapid said.
“I am putting all my experience and knowledge behind one conviction: in order to win, we must first unite the camp,” he added.
“We took the first step by establishing Together, but to achieve victory, we must take one more step.”
He also sharply criticized the government ahead of the upcoming first reading of the dissolution bill in the Knesset, which is scheduled to take place late on Monday night.
“The Knesset will vote today in its first reading on dissolving the Knesset and going to elections,” he stated. “We are taking another step toward the end of this government’s term. Good riddance to this government.”
Lapid said that even coalition supporters have no choice but to admit that there has never been a government “under whose name so many disasters have been recorded.”
He referred to October 7, 2023, saying that the largest massacre in the country’s history took place under the current government’s watch.
“The highest number of terrorism fatalities in the country’s history. The longest war in the country’s history, which ended without any absolute victory, not in Gaza, not in Lebanon, not in Iran. A rise in Jewish terrorism to levels never seen before in the country’s history,” Lapid added.
The opposition leader also sharply criticized the education system and the country’s economic state.
“The greatest decline in the country’s history is in our children’s educational achievements. Two credit rating downgrades for the first time in the country’s history.”
“The largest number of ministers and Knesset members suspected of criminal offenses in the country’s history. The largest transfer of corrupt political funds in the country’s history,” he added.
The spike in crime rates in Israel
Speaking on the spike in crime rates in the country, Lapid said that there were “the highest number of murders and violent crimes in the country’s history.”
“A record number of femicides. A peak in the phenomenon of protection rackets that has taken over the country.”
“The largest number of draft evaders in the country’s history during a bloody war. A decline in Israel’s international standing to a level never seen before in the country’s history. Division, schism, internal hatred, and incitement not seen before in the country’s history.”
“I could continue this list, but I do not want to look backward, but forward. This country, our beloved Israel, needs a fresh start. It needs unity. It needs a government that will give it calm, efficiency, integrity, and values,” he said.
A Maariv poll published on Friday showed Bennett and Lapid’s party reaching just 22 seats – a decline of six seats.
The poll also showed Eisenkot’s Yashar! had climbed by two seats and totaled to 17. Since the formation of Together, Eisenkot has gained a total of five seats in Maariv polls.
