Lapid calls for unity and change
Lapid calls for unity and changeDovrot

Yesh Atid Chairman MK Yair Lapid participated on Saturday in an event known as Shabatarbut (a series meant to offer cultural activities on the Sabbath, ed.) at Habima Theater in Tel Aviv, emceed by Israeli journalist Ben Kaspit.

During the event, Lapid addressed the US elections, as well as coalition members' reactions and their calls to act after Republican candidate Donald Trump won the elections.

"We need to wait, I know it's hard for politicians but the US government was chosen three days ago, and the swearing in will only be held on January 20. They haven't yet decided who will do what, they haven't yet set clear policies. The Israeli politicians need to bite their lips, stop trying to make headlines, and just wait, so that we'll be able to start creating a relationship with the US government, which will hopefully be much better than the previous relationships we've had with them. We need to know how to talk to the Americans about everything, and that's what the Foreign Ministry is supposed to do. Unfortunately, we don't have a functioning Foreign Ministry, and we don't have a full-time Foreign Minister," Lapid said.

Israel's Foreign Minister is PM Binyamin Netanyahu, and MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) is Deputy Foreign Minister.

Lapid also reacted to Trump's announcement that he would move the US Embassy to Jerusalem, saying he absolutely supports the decision.

"Jerusalem is ours, it's our historical capital and there's no reason the embassy shouldn't be in Jerusalem. Anyone who talks about dividing Jerusalem should know that Jerusalem is our capital and that it will remain undivided. Just like Paris won't be divided and just like London won't be divided," he said.

Lapid also spoke about the Regulation (aka Normalization) Law, which will be voted on again tomorrow.

"I am against the law," Lapid said. "You need to understand, the Regulation Law is not meant to legalize Amona, but to allow the government to say that the Supreme Court is guilty, not them. They want to say that they want to rule but the Supreme Court doesn't allow them to. Their purpose is to blame the Supreme Court for everything they don't want to make decisions about. Their purpose is not to rule but to blame the Supreme Court for all of their failures, and we have to protect the Supreme Court with all our might. it's not an issue of right or left."

Lapid, who makes no secret of his hopes to be prime minister, was also asked by Kaspit, who is known to loathe Netanyahu, about the difference between the government he wants to offer the Israeli citizen and the current coalition.

"Yesh Atid is first of all an alternative, and we speak differently and present plans. We have a detailed seven-point plan that deals with everything related to the public and the future. The biggest question in politics is where we'll be in another five years, and that's not being discussed right now because the political system is too busy blaming and slandering itself instead of doing what's important. The second thing here is the culture of divisiveness. Right now we're too divided for us to even realize it, and that has to stop. I didn't go into politics in order to slander, but rather in order to help our country become better," he concluded.