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Rabat – Yair Lapid, Former Israeli Foreign Minister and opposition leader, has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for deliberately prolonging ceasefire negotiations to appease his political base, describing it as “unnecessary damage.”
Speaking at Israel’s 103FM, Lapid said: “It’s a complicated negotiation even without Netanyahu deliberately complicating it to wink at his political base.” These remarks follow a series of high-stakes discussions aimed at securing a ceasefire agreement in war-torn Gaza.
Lapid previously assured Netanyahu of a parliamentary safety net, offering support should the Prime Minister choose to sign a ceasefire deal that risks losing backing from two influential far-right ministers.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have strongly opposed any potential ceasefire arrangement.
“There’s a hostage deal on the table. It is not true that Netanyahu has to choose between the hostage deal and his continued tenure as prime minister. I promised him a safety net, and I will keep that promise,” Lapid tells reporters ahead of his Yesh Atid party’s weekly faction meeting on Monday.
During his appearance at 103FM Lapid pointed out the deep divisions within Netanyahu’s coalition government, saying: “He lost control over everything. He lost control over the political system, over the war, over foreign relations … he lost control over his government. Everyone there does what they want to him.”
Ceasefire talks have recently been revived after Hamas presented a ceasefire-hostage deal last week, which Israel said it was “evaluating.”
Hamas previously demanded an end to the war on Gaza as a condition to free 120 Israeli captives, but recently the group showed flexibility as its recent proposal no longer requires an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire.
