From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 9, 2024
Opposition leaders disagree on providing Netanyahu safety net for hostage deal
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Asked about media reports that the ultra-Orthodox Shas party is pushing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring opposition parties into the coalition to dilute the influence of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tells reporters in the Knesset that he had not received any call from Shas chief Aryeh Deri.
Asked if he would consider entering the government, he recalls offering to enter the government in place of Netanyahu’s far-right allies following October 7, and reiterates his previous offer to provide a “safety net” to the government by replacing Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich if they leave the government in order to prevent a hostage deal.
Yair Golan insists that such a move would be counterproductive.
“We must not give Netanyahu a safety net,” Golan, leader of The Democrats, a Labor party rebrand, tells reporters in the Knesset.
The Times of Israel Community.