Opposition leader Yair Lapid, leader of the Yesh Atid Party, on Wednesday called for the ouster of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the establishment of a broad unity government headed by another representative from the Likud Party.
Speaking to Channel 12 News, Lapid said, "We need a change in the government. Netanyahu cannot continue to be the Prime Minister of Israel. We need a national rehabilitation government that the Likud will lead and Yesh Atid will be a part of. We need to start a rehabilitation and healing process."
"Netanyahu needs to go now. We now need a government that can be trusted. I suggest that what we establish now a government now with the Likud, with the haredim, with Liberman, with the National Unity Party, is a national rehabilitation government."
He was asked how only yesterday he expressed a different position, saying a Prime Minister should not be replaced in the midst of a war - and changed his mind one day later. "For 40 days I told myself that I should wait. Right now what is happening is that the country has lost confidence in the Prime Minister. And it is impossible to conduct a prolonged campaign with a Prime Minister that the people do not trust," he replied.
He added, "I am ready to take myself and my party into a government that the Likud will lead. I don't think it is right for us to go to elections now. What is needed is to contact the Likud and tell them that the Prime Minister will be one of their members - only that it will not be Netanyahu."
"We will go to work on this in an orderly manner and talk with the leaders of the Likud, with the haredim and others in this coalition. We will start working while making sure that our move does not harm the war effort," he concluded.
The Likud said in response, "It is unfortunate and shameful that Lapid is playing politics during a war when he proposes to oust the Prime Minister who is leading the campaign and replace him with a government that will establish a Palestinian state and allow the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza."
Yesh Atid replied, "The Likud probably missed it: Lapid proposed a government led by the Likud, with a Prime Minister from the Likud who is not Netanyahu. This is how we will start the national healing process."