Gantz, Michaeli appear to balk at lining up behind Lapid in opposition
Outgoing defense minister questions Yesh Atid chair’s appearance at protest, while outgoing transportation minister declines to say who is leading fight against incoming coalition
Leaders of parties headed into the opposition appeared hesitant to rally behind outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid, signaling that they are unlikely to form a unified front against the incoming government behind the Yesh Atid leader, who is set to become head of the opposition.
In faction meetings Monday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz criticized Lapid’s participation in a protest against the yet-to-be-formed government over the weekend, and outgoing Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli declined to say who is leading efforts against the expected coalition.
The comments were the latest to expose deep rifts even among ostensibly ideological aligned corners of the lame duck government, following an election that saw the center-left lose ground with voters due to infighting between parties, which was largely blamed on Lapid’s inability to engineer productive alliances.
Gantz, head of the National Unity party, and Lapid, head of Yesh Atid, have each jockeyed to be perceived as the opposition leader, although once the new government is sworn in under expected incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the role will formally go to Lapid as the head of the opposition’s largest party.
Gantz vowed during a faction meeting to work to thwart the likely incoming government “in every opportunity that arises,” but chided the outgoing premier’s participation in a protest against the yet-to-be-formed next coalition, as well as for calling the new government “insane.”
On Friday, Lapid appeared at a protest on a bridge over the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv, part of a nationwide movement that has brought people to demonstrate against Netanyahu by waving flags and signs from overpasses.
“Everyone can choose the way they defend democracy,” Gantz said. “The right to protest is important. Leaders should lead protests. I don’t think standing on a bridge in some spot is the model, but to each their own.”
“Our camp doesn’t think the elected government is insane, crazy or lunatic — it thinks its extremism endangers the State of Israel,” he added.
At her own party meeting, Michaeli refused to say who she saw as leading the future opposition when asked.
Labor is “cooperating with all the opposition parties,” Michaeli said when asked by The Times of Israel whether the opposition was coordinated and whether Lapid or Gantz was leading the efforts.
“We didn’t see that there’s a competition” over opposition leadership, she said, when asked if Lapid was the opposition leader.
Michaeli, who has at times tried to position Labor as leader of the center-left camp, was harshly critical of Lapid following the election for the bloc’s poor showing, though it was partially her own refusal to merge the Labor and Meretz lists that led to the leftist party falling short of the electoral threshold, which helped cement Netanyahu’s win.
Lapid also faced fire from more expected corners Monday, with Netanyahu accusing him of embarking on a “campaign of intimidation and sedition” and claiming that the outgoing government was refusing to recognize the election results. The comment appeared to be aimed at attempts by the outgoing government to stymie efforts to replace Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy with a Netanyahu ally.
Netanyahu also said his government policies will “not include any harm to the rights of LGBT people, secular people, or any other Israeli citizens,” in reference to fears among liberals over the declared hardline agenda of the Likud chair’s far-right and religious partners.
Netanyahu has until December 21 to announce the formation of his government.
