Lapid accuses government of advancing partisan agenda despite conflict with Iran

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition of continuing to advance a partisan agenda during wartime while the opposition rallies behind the war effort and “puts politics aside.”

“I have been asked dozens of times in recent days, by television stations all over the world, why the head of the opposition is suddenly supporting the war,” and have repeatedly answered that “this is a war of the entire people of Israel. We are now putting politics aside,” Lapid tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting in the Knesset.

“So why are we here in the Knesset now? Because it turned out that we are the only ones putting politics aside. The government preaches to us that we need to unite in times of war, and then here, today, now, it promotes legislation whose purpose is to transfer more money to Channel 14,” he says.

Lawmakers this morning deliberated on a bill extending a temporary measure that added the pro-government Channel 14 to Idan Plus, the free-of-charge broadcast distribution platform.

“That is why they are all here today. Not for a sensible compensation plan for businesses, not for a sensible plan for the education system,” he continues. “They have no shame. They promised us, they told reporters, that they would only bring laws related to the war.”

Lapid further slams the coalition for voting on a measure transferring several powers of the interior minister, a position now vacant, to Netanyahu, as well as continuing “to promote the [Haredi draft] evasion law” and “transferring five billion shekels of coalition money, corrupt political money, through the government, hoping that the public won’t notice because they are in the shelters.”