Opposition leader Yair Lapid delivered a statement to the media this evening (Thursday) in which he explained why he is not joining the emergency government formed yesterday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Unity Party chairman Benny Gantz.
"In which country is 150% mobilization of the reserves sustainable?" he said. "We need to use force like we haven't done before, and we will use it."
"There is no atonement for the failure that happened and I will not say more than that right now, there will be time. If I thought this was a unity government I would join it, it is not too late to form the right government. We will not join because a structure has been established here that will only add to the mess. Gantz and Eisenkot will only be able to give advice in the cabinet, because Ben Gvir still remains in charge of the Temple Mount, and Smotrich of Huwara," Lapid added.
"Those who caused the failure will not be able to fix it, the citizens of Israel have the right to demand that they do the right thing for once and we all know what it is - a government without extremists with a small and efficient cabinet," Lapid claimed, although the definition of a unity government is one representing all sectors of Israeli society and those who voted for Smotrich and Ben Gvir are a significant force in IDF combat units.