From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 24, 2023
Lapid: An empty show, Netanyahu is not the real PM
Carrie Keller-Lynn is a former political and legal correspondent for The Times of Israel
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid dismisses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal to return to talks, calling it “empty, because it is not within his authority.”
“As anyone involved in attempts to reach broad agreements has discovered, Benjamin Netanyahu is not really Israel’s prime minister. He is a prisoner of [Justice Minister Yariv] Levin and [far-right politicians Simcha] Rothman and [Itamar] Ben Gvir,” Lapid charges.
Dismissing negotiation efforts, Lapid says that he has “made every effort to prevent a rift in the nation,” but that “the opposition will not be a partner in talks that are just an empty show.”
Attacking Netanyahu’s trustworthiness, Lapid adds that: “Netanyahu’s statement tonight is another lie, the sole purpose of which is to reduce pressure by the Americans and put the protests to sleep. The government of extremists and messianists cannot tear apart our democracy at noon, and in the evening send Netanyahu to say that he is proposing dialogue.”
Promising to continue to fight against judicial overhaul, Lapid says: “They won’t make us give up. We won’t give up. The struggle has just begun.”
