Prominent Israeli opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Gadi Eisenkot leveled harsh criticism against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, accusing him of placing his own political survival ahead of the nation's security interests. The remarks come just days before the country's scheduled elections on Tuesday, amid ongoing concerns regarding potential Iranian involvement and broader regional instability.
Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, took to social media to claim the current government has turned national security into a “farce” while seeking scapegoats to mask its own failures. Lapid specifically targeted the administration's leadership, stating, “Once again, this failed government is trying to make excuses and look for a scapegoat to cover up the failures of Netanyahu and the group of incompetent people surrounding him.” He further characterized a recent statement by Defence Minister Israel Katz as a “reckless and hysterical” move that serves as a “gift to Israel’s enemies.”
Defence Minister Israel Katz responded to the criticism by placing responsibility for security threats directly on the opposition. In his own statement, Katz declared that any future attacks on Israel would be “recorded in the names of Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan and their other colleagues in the opposition.” Lapid countered this, describing the minister’s comments as a clear admission of the government's inability to govern or protect its citizens.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar party and a former Israeli army chief of staff, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the continued tenure of Netanyahu and Katz poses a direct threat to the country. Eisenkot accused the defence minister of attempting to shift blame for potential future catastrophes in advance. “A defence minister holding his political opponents responsible for attacks that the enemy may launch, even before they happen, is absurd and represents an unprecedented decline,” Eisenkot wrote on X. He added that the public would have the opportunity to end this administration at the ballot box in five days.
The political friction occurs as Prime Minister Netanyahu leads what is widely considered the most right-wing government in Israel's history, a coalition that has been in power since late December 2022. Beyond the immediate electoral pressures, Netanyahu remains embroiled in a domestic corruption trial involving charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Additionally, he has been sought by the International Criminal Court since 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where the conflict since October 2023 has resulted in more than 74,000 deaths.
