Opposition Leader and Foreign Minister-designate Yair Lapid excoriated right-wing lawmakers slated to head to the Opposition Sunday, after members of the pro-Netanyahu bloc jeered Lapid and Prime Minister-designate Naftali Bennett.
In place of his planned address, Lapid said asked for forgiveness from his elderly mother, who had travelled to the capital to be present during the planned swearing in of the government after the Knesset votes in the national unity government.
Lapid expressed outrage at the jeering by right-wing and haredi lawmakers, saying their behavior exemplified “why it’s time to replace you.”
“Mr. Speaker, Knesset Members, I’m skipping the speech I planned to deliver today because I’m here to say one thing - to ask for forgiveness from my mother.”
“My mother is 86 years old and we don’t ask her to come to Jerusalem lightly but we did it because I assumed that you would be able to get over yourselves and behave with statesmanship at this moment and she would see a smooth transition of government.”
“When she was born there was no State of Israel, Tel Aviv was a small town of 30,000 people and we didn’t have a parliament. I wanted her to be proud of the democratic process in Israel. Instead she, along with every citizen of Israel, is ashamed of you and remembers clearly why it’s time to replace you.”