Lapid: We won’t hold overhaul talks just so Netanyahu can claim there’s dialogue

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid joins MK Benny Gantz in denying that their parties came to agreements on certain judicial reforms that the coalition is currently considering advancing unilaterally.

“There are no agreements and there weren’t any,” Lapid says at the outset of his Yesh Atid party’s Knesset faction meeting. “The only reason that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu returned to legislating is that he’s lost control over his coalition.”

Lapid reiterates his “call to Netanyahu to stop” and insists that the coalition call another vote to finish staffing the Judicial Selection Committee — a condition he previously set for returning to stalled negotiations on the larger judicial overhaul.

“They have to convene the Judicial Selection Committee. That’s what was agreed upon with the president, and once they convene the committee, we can talk. As long as they don’t legislate [beforehand],” Lapid elaborates in response to reporter questions.

“If they don’t convene the committee, I’ll petition the Supreme Court,” he adds.
“We won’t sit at the President’s Residence [for negotiations] just so Netanyahu can be interviewed on CNN and claim there is a dialogue while [Justice Minister] Yariv Levin is passing legislation that would destroy our democracy,” Lapid adds.

The opposition leader also sloughs off criticism from fellow opposition party head Avigdor Liberman that Yesh Atid would agree to changes tailored to enabling the cabinet to reinstate Shas leader Aryeh Deri after he was dismissed by the High Court.

“How is that logical? Why would I make a deal with someone to bring Aryeh Deri into the government?” Lapid says.