Lapid vows new gov’t will work for everyone, says he ‘failed’ to limit number of ministers

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid expresses confidence the proposed “change government” will endure if sworn into office, while extending a hand to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s backers.

“This government is being formed because it’s the majority. There were elections, we have a majority, we’re forming a government. That’s democracy, that’s its strength, that’s the choice Israel made,” Lapid says during a Knesset faction meeting.

Addressing supporters of Prime Minister Netanyahu and other parties in his right-wing religious bloc, Lapid says he knows many of them view the potential new government as a “crisis.”

“But you’ll discover that this government isn’t being created against you. It will work for you, it will respect you, it will be your government as well. It will also be a government of those who voted for Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and Religious Zionism. They’ll discover that we’ll be fair toward them, that we will respect their beliefs and opinions, that we’ll listen to their needs”.

He also urges those who are in favor of the proposed government not to rub it in the faces of those who opposed it.

“I know you waited a long time and this is your success but there are a lot of people in Israel who are concerned about this government. We need to reach out to them and lower the tensions. We don’t need to celebrate in the town square and shout that we won. This is the time to unite Israeli society. They aren’t our enemies,” he says.

Lapid addresses the recent political discourse in Israel and appears to hit out at a group of rabbis who called on their followers to “do everything” to prevent the new government from being formed.

“We don’t choose the Judaism of extremist rabbis who make themselves part of the political game and enlist themselves into the incitement. We choose a Judaism that tells us to choose life,” the Yesh Atid chief says.

He also says he “failed” in limiting the number of ministers who will be in the government. “This is part of what allowed us to form a government,” he asserts.