Herzog slams PM, prompts criticism from Likud, Shas

In a Saturday night TV interview, opposition leader and head of the Labor Party Isaac Herzog said Israel must go to general elections after Operation Protective Edge ends in order to choose whether to kick-start peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority or not. He made clear his conviction that a resumed peace process, involving a partnership with the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas, was vital for Israel.

“The Israeli people will face a tough decision [after this conflict],” Herzog said during an interview with Channel 2. “Do they see a future for the two-state solution, or not, which is why I think that after this military campaign, we must go to elections.”

The Labor party head asserted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had failed to better the Israeli public’s situation on almost every front.

Herzog’s comments prompted Likud sources to slam him for attacking the government. The Shas opposition party also attacked him, saying the political leadership — government and opposition — should unite in times of war.