Amid increasing disagreements within the Israeli war government and the Likud Party, which heads the ruling coalition, the leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, today (Wednesday) described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “a liar, inciter of hatred, and involved in the killing of soldiers.”
Lapid said: “Netanyahu has not learned anything since October 7, and he cannot continue to lead the country,” adding: Netanyahu works to lie, incite, and create hatred, while our soldiers are killed every day in the midst of a bitter war.
This came at a time when the Times of Israel newspaper reported that members of the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fear that if Netanyahu does not submit his resignation at the end of the Israeli war with Hamas, voters will expel them from the government and keep them out of it for decades to come, which It effectively puts an end to their political career.
The newspaper reported that the second minister in the Ministry of Justice and the first member of the party, David Amsalem, warned during a meeting of his party that if Likud falls in the elections, it will not return to power for twenty years, indicating that there are others in the party who share Amsalem’s concerns.
The newspaper quoted another MP who preferred to remain anonymous as saying: “Amsalem is right. If Netanyahu remains leader of Likud, we will fall and will not return to power for another 40 years,” indicating that fears of the Bolshevik left seizing power if Likud falters have brought back Igniting internal opposition in Likud to Netanyahu's leadership, which led to increased coordination among many opponents in the party who had not previously agreed.
The newspaper reported that opponents within Likud aim to pass a constructive vote of no confidence against him with the support of 61 Knesset members, whether from the coalition or the opposition, indicating that such a vote may remove Netanyahu from the government without overthrowing his party, allowing the party to form an alternative government. Under a different prime minister and several Knesset members working to rally support for the plan for the idea to succeed, 10 Likud members would have to support it, something many consider extremely unlikely.
The newspaper reported that Economy Minister Nir Barkat is one of those aspiring to replace Netanyahu, noting that Barkat, in private conversations with several members of the Knesset, presented in-depth opinion polls indicating that if he leads the Likud Party, the party will retain 25 seats in the upcoming elections. .
The newspaper reported that Barkat declared his opposition to Netanyahu and his dissatisfaction with his leadership in recent weeks, and said that he would not vote in favor of the government’s 2023 wartime budget when it is presented to the Knesset next Wednesday unless his office receives 250 million shekels to support faltering business interests on the ground. The southern and northern borders of Israel.
The newspaper revealed that Knesset member Yuli Edelstein is also one of those aspiring to succeed Netanyahu in the event of his overthrow, but he is not the one around whom people rally. It seems that most of the activity within the party is focused on Knesset members David Bitan and Danny Danon, who are trying, separately and together, to rally the support of members. The Knesset is tasked with passing a constructive vote of no confidence and trying to convince coalition members to move against Netanyahu.
The newspaper said that Bitan is participating in talks with the opposition, and more specifically with opposition leader Yair Lapid, who previously hinted that he was holding talks with Likud officials