In DC, Lapid says he’s okay with not leading next government as long as it replaces Netanyahu

WASHINGTON — Opposition chair Yair Lapid indicates that while he aims to be the next prime minister, he is open to sufficing with a role in the formation of a new government, even if he is not the one leading it.

In an on-stage interview at the Middle East American Dialogue (MEAD) in Washington, DC, Lapid argues that he is the only politician who has succeeded in putting together an alternative government to one led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Naftali Bennett was the prime minister in the previous government, but Lapid was seen as having been integral in putting it together and served as premier in its final months.

“I’m the only one who [formed an alternative government] in the last 20 years, so maybe it’s a good idea to give [the premiership] to somebody who knows,” Lapid says.

Netanyahu has served as prime minister consecutively since 2009, except during the short-lived previous government.

“But it’s fine whether I’m king or king-maker, as long as there is going to be a government that’s not structured like the current government, in which it’s very clear who’s the leading body,” he adds, referring to Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Lapid notes that the new government he hopes to form will operate in a different manner, apparently acknowledging that there will be several leaders in the coalition he hopes to form, as was the case in the previous government.