Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot continue in his position, calling for elections during the war that has been ongoing in the Gaza Strip for more than two months.
This is the first call from a senior Israeli official to hold elections during the war, as previous calls were limited to holding elections after the war.
Lapid said, in an interview with the Ynet website affiliated with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, that Netanyahu cannot continue as prime minister, and that elections can be held during the war.
Netanyahu insists on continuing the war, hoping to end the continued rule of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza since the summer of 2007, and eliminate the movement’s military capabilities.
Netanyahu is under severe criticism because of the war on Gaza (Reuters)
Expectations and criticism
Expectations are rising within Israel that anticipated post-war investigations into the military and intelligence failure against Hamas will spell the end of Netanyahu’s political career.
For about a year, Netanyahu has headed a coalition government described in the Israeli media as the most extreme right-wing government in Israel’s history.
Regarding his opinion about the news of a possible new truce agreement that includes a prisoner exchange deal, former Prime Minister Lapid responded that a new proposal must be presented to the table. Once a card is on the table, it will trigger a move, even if it is not accepted.
He added: I made clear to the Prime Minister that the opposition would provide support, even at painful prices in a deal (regarding) the detainees.
It is noteworthy that Netanyahu repeatedly tried to hold the army and intelligence services responsible for failures. This sparked sharp criticism even within his own government.
Since the seventh of last October, the Israeli army has been waging a devastating war on Gaza that, as of the middle of this month, has left 18,800 martyrs and 51,000 wounded, most of them children and women, massive destruction of infrastructure and an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, according to official Palestinian sources.
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2023-12-17 11:30:18
