Yair Lapid with picture of David Ben-Gurion
Yair Lapid with picture of David Ben-GurionBen Kelmer/Flash 90

In an interview broadcast on Channel 2 News Wednesday, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid made clear that he and Moshe Kahlon would not run together in a joint list for the 20th Knesset. 

"Yesh Atid is running alone in this election, because this party is not just a platform of seats, but a group that believes in something and wants to work," Lapid said. 

Speculation about Yesh Atid and Kulanu running together has been churning for weeks, although Kahlon has consistently denied a unification, in spite of meeting several times with Lapid. 

Despite disavowing a unification, Lapid did not rule out political cooperation with certain parties.

"The nature of politics is cooperation and we came to work," he said. "Because of that fact we will cooperate with whoever we need, in order to change the government." 

"Israel must produce a government that lives and works for its citizens from six in the morning until midnight. If someone wants to collaborate with me to change the country, they are more than welcome," Lapid added. 

Lapid also addressed the corruption scandal - including allegations against senior Yisrael Beytenu  officials - that caused waves Wednesday. 

"We only learned of the investigation today," Lapid said diplomatically. "I hope everyone is acquitted and it becomes clear that none of the allegations are true." 

"At the same time, I am proud that we live in a country where no one is immune from investigation and that corruption cases are treated with impartiality," Lapid continued.

"We have to wait and see. I don't like the Israeli mentality that straight away, the accused is a condemned man. Let's wait and see what comes of it." 

The former Finance Minister, who was fired several weeks ago by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, also responded to criticism from the Prime Minister's associates, who called him "the worst finance minister in the history of the country." 

"I think these remarks just prove Netanyahu's hysteria and panic," Lapid said. "After that, Netanyahu said the economy has greatly improved in the last two years - when I was Minister of Finance. So how does he reconcile to himself this complicated logical contradiction?" 

"Fact: I entered the job with 40 billion shekels in a budgetary hole, a 4.3% deficit, an economic crisis, and when I left the job after a year and eight months, the deficit had fallen to 2.6% and the hole had disappeared." 

"During that time we established a national program for Holocaust survivors, equalized the burden [by drafting hareidis to the army], changed the government's methods, and set up a national program to reduce the number of students per class," Lapid listed.  

"All of these things happened after we fixed the damage done by Likud. When it comes to government, I agree with the Prime Minister: the public understands that the person who has failed time and time again as prime minister does not need to form the next government."