Prime Minister Yair Lapid is currently meeting with Opposition Leader MK Benjamin Netanyahu. T
he Prime Minister will brief him on the nuclear agreement with Iran and the diplomatic and security activity which Israel is leading to influence the matter, as well as additional national security issues.
Prime Minister Lapid said: "On issues of national security there is no opposition and coalition in Israel. Israel is strong and will work together to safeguard our security interests against anyone who tries to harm us."
According to reports, the sides argued over whether the meeting would be filmed or photographed.
This is the second such meeting between the two leaders in the past month.
The two leaders sparred Sunday over the emerging deal with Iran, trade blame for the talks in Vienna.
At a press conference Sunday afternoon, Lapid blamed Netanyahu for the deal, singling out his 2015 address to Congress on the eve of the original agreement.
“To this day, we are paying for the damage caused by Netanyahu’s address to Congress. As a result of it, the American government ended its dialogue with us and barred Israel from presenting changes to the deal.”
Netanyahu responded in a video statement, accusing Lapid and Defense Minister Gantz of neglecting Iran’s nuclear aspirations and efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
“Unfortunately, this past year, Lapid and Gantz have totally neglected the public struggle against the Iran nuclear deal.”
“For 12 years, I fought hard against this deal, and even got the US to drop out of the deal, but during their one year in power, Lapid and Gantz fell asleep at the wheel and enabled the US and Iran to reach a nuclear deal which endangers our future.”
“They simply did nothing to pressure the American government to not sign this deal. Unlike us, they didn’t go to Congress, they didn’t go the UN, they did not wage a wide PR campaign in the world media.”