Addressing members of the Faculty of Law at Bar Ilan University, MK (Likud) Reuven Rivlin stated he views Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid as a “serious contender” to become prime minister.
Rivlin explained that one must realize that Lapid is indeed a serious threat to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, pointing out the finance minister’s Yesh Atid party has 19 seats while Likud [without Yisrael Beitenu] has only 20. “Just imagine that one of them [the mandates] moves over to Lapid. Then he would have 20 seats and the prime minister 19.”
According to the Maariv report, the former Knesset speaker took advantage of the forum to take a jab at the prime minister after the latter betrayed him in the election for speaker in the 19th Knesset. Rivlin said “one in every two Likud members supported me, which is more support than he received.”
Rivlin then turned to Yisrael Beitenu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman. “One week he declares he is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and the following week he explains he lives in Yehuda but would be ready to leave for a peace agreement with the PA (Palestinian Authority).”
When asked about his political future, he indicated that if he is not elected as the next president he will not seek another term in Knesset.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
Stam shtuyot!
By that standard, not only is Shelly Yacomovits a serious candidate, but also Aryeh Deri (especially if the three Hareidim run as a single list, which would be quite appropriate under current conditions).
Rivlin for President is the way to go.
For all intensive purposes Lapid is already PM. He is the one who set the agenda for this government and dictated the coalition agreement. The draft, the budget and the education curriculum are all his pet projects. Netanyahu has proposed nothing. He is fickle and weak. He is a puppet of Lapid and Bennet. Netanyahu is good for drawing cartoons of bombs with red lines and showing them to the UN. `That is about it. He has already abdicated his leadership in every significant area he is nothing more than a glorified foreign minister.
This assumes that Lapid will get the same amount of seats, or more. That is a very big IF. Netanyahu may have set him up, by giving him the finance ministry. Many people are upset at Lapid, as a result.
#2. The day all the Chareidim actually get together and not fight over stupidy, Moshich will come!
crazykanoiy: But Lapid is at present in a precarious position, since if Bayit Yehudi decides to break up the coalition, Netanyahu could reform it with the Hareidim in place of Yesh Atid (and the hareidim instead of wanting money or patronage, could be easily “bought” with a compromise pertaining to conscription). Similarly, if it is Lapid’s economic policies that are bringing him grief (rather than Lapid’s anti-Torah policies alienating Bayit Yehudi), Natanyahu could form a government with Labor (focusing on economics) and the Hareidim. — Given the strength of the anti-Hareidi bloc, Netanyahu decided to focus on other matters and let Bennett cope with the backlash), and given the economy, let Lapid get blamed for austerity (which Netanyahu favors in theory).
This is Rivlin getting back at Bibi for ousting him from Speaker of the Kenneset position. Lapid is a political novice and may very well end up like his father who was ousted from the Kenesset after only one term. Only time will tell how far he will get.
What you don’t realize is that this is playing out just the way Netanyahu would want it. Lapid is going to end up the most hated man in Israel. Netanyahu gave him all the positions with major problems. Now, not only will the chareidim hate him, the liberal Jews in the US will hate him because of the VAT on tourists, which will play a major role in programs like the year in Israel, or Steinhart’s program. The unions now hate Lapid. At this point, since there is money leaving everybody’s pocket, it is not easy to find anyone who doesn’t hate Lapid. It is a master political stroke by Netanyahu.