Gantz's Blue and White party released a full statement Monday evening attacking former prime minister Yair Lapid, after Lapid insinuated that Gantz's alliances with other figures were designed to help Benjamin Netanyahu. Gantz accused Lapid of making political calculations on October 7 while Israelis were bleeding in the south, and declared Lapid has no place in public life — vowing to build a 'People of Israel bloc' instead.
Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz escalated the political confrontation with Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid on Monday evening, releasing a full statement that effectively declared Lapid unfit for public office. The flare-up followed Lapid's insinuation that Gantz's recent moves toward unifying with other political figures were designed to help Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a charge that Gantz's camp categorically rejected.
Gantz's statement, attributed to Blue and White, accused Lapid of prioritizing political calculations on October 7, 2023, while 'our brothers were bleeding in the south.' It also referenced Lapid's past encouragement of refusal to serve and internal divisiveness. 'Anyone who made political calculations and counted seats instead of joining an emergency government, who encouraged refusal and factionalism — has no place in public life anymore,' the statement said.
The attack marks the sharpest public break between the two centrist leaders since the breakdown of the unity government talks. As The Zioneer reported on June 28, Gantz had already criticized Netanyahu for building a coalition with Haredi and extremist parties, while earlier this month Bennett and Lapid had been exploring a united bloc to defeat Netanyahu. Gantz's latest statement signals he is now charting his own path: building a 'People of Israel bloc' that rejects both Lapid and Netanyahu.
2 developments
- DevelopingCritic slams Lapid for attacking government instead of confronting anti-Israel narratives
- DevelopingGantz, Liberman, Lapid slam Netanyahu's handling of reported US-Iran deal in faction meetings
- DevelopingLapid says Netanyahu trying to set up satellite parties to steal votes from the opposition bloc
- DevelopingGantz tells Netanyahu: if it's up to you, a government with Haredim and extremists will form
Source and signal
- Internal intake