Prime Minister Netanyahu denies he is “scared” to debate Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, as he is asked why he didn’t take up Lapid’s call to debate him this evening on TV.
Netanyahu again insists that Lapid must first declare he is running for prime minister before they debate.
“Our country is not a game for ambitious politicians,” the premier says.
He also predicts that together with Naftali Bennett’s Yamina party, his right-wing religious bloc will pick up at least 61 seats, enough for a majority in the Knesset.
Lapid is one of the few main party leaders who does not come to the Channel 12 studio for its stream of interviews with party leaders. Also absent are the Joint List’s Ayman Odeh and Ra’am’s Mansour Abbas. Odeh had to cancel for personal reasons, Channel 12 said; he did appear for an interview on Channel 13.
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
- Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
- Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
- Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNation streaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
Join The Times of Israel Community
JOIN NOW
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
