Lapid confirms he’s giving up on PM rotation deal with Gantz

Blue and White No. 2 Yair Lapid confirms he’s giving up on his deal with party leader Benny Gantz on rotating the prime ministership, in order to ease the path to a possible unity government.

Speaking at the Blue and White faction meeting in the Knesset, Lapid says: “For the sake of a unity government I’m forgoing the rotation. It’s far more important to me that there’s unity in the country. That there won’t be another election. That this country begins a healing process.”

Adds Lapid: “The citizens of Israel deserve better, they deserve better than what’s happening in this building. They deserve a stable unity government with a prime minister who isn’t under indictment. They deserve a government that will focus on health, education and security instead of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.”

He accuses Netanyahu of “trying everything to drag us to elections. One man with three indictments stands between us and a national unity government… This country needs a national unity government led by Blue and White, with Likud, with Liberman, with Labor…

“In that government there will be a rotation. Benny Gantz will be prime minister for the first two years. There’s no other option… If in two years Netanyahu will complete the legal process and be cleared of all charges then there’s no problem, he can come back. I hope for him that’s what happens… There won’t be a rotation with three people. That’s not serious. Running a country is a serious matter.”