Israeli opposition leaders accuse Netanyahu of clinging to power at country’s expense

Israeli opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Gadi Eisenkot on Thursday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over the country’s interests, as they criticized his government’s record and its handling of security warnings ahead of next week’s elections.

In a post on the US social media platform X, opposition leader Lapid accused the government of turning Israel’s security into a “farce” and seeking scapegoats for its failures.

“The reckless and hysterical statement made by the defense minister is a gift to Israel’s enemies,” Lapid said.

“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 added.

He described Katz’s remarks as “an explicit admission of their complete inability to govern the country and provide security for its citizens.”

“In their desperate attempt to avoid defeat at the ballot box, they are turning the security of the State of Israel into a farce,” Lapid said.

Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar party and a former Israeli army chief of staff, said Netanyahu and Katz remaining in power posed a threat to Israel’s security.

In a separate post on X, Eisenkot accused Katz of paving the way for “the next catastrophe” by attempting to shift responsibility to others in advance.

“A defense 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 said.

“Every additional day they remain in their positions poses a danger to Israel’s security. In five days, we will put an end to this at the ballot box,” he said.

Earlier Thursday, Katz held opposition leaders responsible for “any attack on Israel and all future terrorist acts,” according to his statement.

“These attacks will be recorded in the names of Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan and their other colleagues in the opposition,” Katz said.

The statements came amid uncertainty surrounding Israel’s elections, scheduled for next Tuesday, as government officials repeatedly warned of a possible Iranian attack on Israel or potential Israeli attacks against Iran ahead of the vote.

Netanyahu has headed the current government since late December 2022, a coalition widely described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history.

He also faces charges of corruption, bribery, and breach of trust in three cases.

In addition to the domestic corruption trial, Netanyahu has been wanted by the International Criminal Court since 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip, where more than 74,000 people have been killed in a genocidal war since October 2023.