Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid flew out to Paris on Thursday morning for a vacation with his wife, Lihi. The trip, coinciding as it does with the Supreme Court hearing discussing the petition against the appointment of Aryeh Deri as a minister in the new government, has been called out as evidence that Lapid isn't serious about his designation of Netanyahu's government as a "danger to democracy."
Furthermore, Lapid has chosen to fly abroad just hours after Justice Minister Yariv Levin (Likud) presented his reforms to the judiciary, reforms which have been decried by opposition MKs as posing a threat to responsible governance.
Shas MK Ariel Busso mocked Lapid, writing, "Instead of going out to man the barricades, you're flying off? Seriously?"
Lapid later responded to the critique, writing that "I don't know if I deserve a break, but my wife certainly does."
"This has been the craziest year-and-a-half of our lives," he added. "My wife didn't join me on any official trip, not when I was Foreign Minister and not when I was Prime Minister. We don't have any big plans - just to see an exhibition, have a romantic dinner, do a lot of walking. But people decided that if I am not here for two-and-a-half days, it means that I am not committed to the struggle for Israeli democracy. I hate to be defensive and I hate to complain, but there is a limit.
"My entire life is dedicated to the fight for Israeli democracy," he added. "There is nothing more important to me. I lost millions of shekels and gained thousands of white hairs, but I don't regret it for a moment. The fight for the sanity of the State of Israel is a sacred mission. It is a great privilege to lead those people who have decided that they will not give up.
"It never occurs to me for a moment to back down, give up, or make compromises. Yes, it did occur to me that after leading a military operation, an agreement with Lebanon, tense daily management of the campaign in Jenin and Nablus, a difficult election campaign, I want to take a few days to breathe for a moment, think for a moment, walk hand-in-hand with my beloved through the streets of Paris and ask her how she is coping.
"I paid for the plane tickets with my own money, we paid for the small apartment near the Eiffel Tower, and also the meals. I understand that there are those who suspect me of enjoying myself. They are right. We both needed this trip like air to breathe. On Sunday I return, to continue the struggle with all my might, until we bring down this terrible government. There is only one condition that must be met for this to be successful: that we stop harassing each other, stop performing purity tests on each other, and instead fight together against the real danger: a dark government with a weak prime minister, which threatens to destroy our lives here."