Clearly Yesh Atid party leader MK Yair Lapid has changed since becoming a member of the opposition, following the advice of his new political strategist. Lapid has made strides to mend fences with the chareidim, seeking to distance himself from his reputation of being anti-chareidi, which he earned in the previous Knesset.
Lapid recently took part in a bar mitzvah ceremony at the Kosel alongside the Chief Rabbis of Israel, telling the media that he maintains good contact today with some chareidi lawmakers, but MKs Moshe Gafne and Uri Maklev are unwilling to accept his extended hand.
Speaking to Yated Neeman, Gafne and MK Uri Maklev explain that despite the external changes, “It is the same old Lapid” and they are not convinced that he has really changed his stripes. Gafne called him an “opportunist”, questioning just what Lapid’s ideology really is.
“The man goes to the Kosel and what is he looking for there? Let him look at the disabled children who he harmed. Those children whose summer camp programs he wiped out. Let him apologize to the avreichim and seminary students. What is he looking for at the Kosel?” Gafne continues, explaining Lapid is “irresponsible and incapable of listening to his advisers, expressing criticism against his zero value added tax bill which was Lapid flagship legislation that was defeated in the last administration and led to the collapse of the coalition.
Maklev and Gafne added that Lapid serving as prime minister would be a “danger to the State of Israel”, adding “He hounded the chareidim and harmed them in every aspect of their lives by his legislation and now he declares ‘I do not hate chareidim’.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
It’s possible that in his quest for the Prime MInister’s chair, he might have come to the realization that without the chareidim he stands no chance of ever getting there. What Bibi realized decades ago, maybe Lapid is just now realizing for the first time. Whether or not he’ll be able to overcome all the bad blood remains to be seen.