Latest news with #YairLapid
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran war gives Netanyahu political breathing room in Israel
Two confidence votes, each fewer than seven days apart, tell much of the story of Israel's political transformation since it launched attacks on longstanding regional nemesis Iran on Friday. Early on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government narrowly survived a vote that ensured its continuation after an 11th-hour deal was reached with ultra-Orthodox parties who are a key force within it. Had a deal not been found, then parliament would have been dissolved and new elections called, leaving Netanyahu vulnerable as opposition against him grew. But then on Monday, a similar attempt to dissolve parliament failed miserably after no confidence motions brought forward by parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel failed to attract any support from the centre and the right. Of course, in between, Israel had launched its attacks on Iran, upending domestic Israeli politics as well as regional geopolitics. Rejecting Monday's no confidence motions, opposition politician Pnina Tamano-Shata – who has been critical of Netanyahu in the past – told lawmakers the efforts were 'disconnected from reality'.That is now the mainstream view in Israeli politics, with opposition parties falling into line behind Netanyahu and a war against Iran that the prime minister has been promoting for at least two decades. Writing in Israeli media the day after Israel's strikes on Iran began, former Prime Minister and self-styled centrist Yair Lapid, who less than a month earlier had been calling upon the prime minister to seek a truce in Gaza, wrote of his full support for the attacks on Iran while urging the United States to participate in the war. He was then pictured shaking Netanyahu's hand with a map of Iran on a wall behind the two men. Former right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whom polls have shown to be a favourite to replace Netanyahu if early elections were called, also told Israeli media: 'There is no right, no left, no opposition and no coalition' in regard to the attacks on Iran. Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Aida Touma-Suleiman, a member of parliament representing the Hadash-Ta'al Party, said: 'Politically, the switch to supporting the war by the main opposition isn't surprising. It took them a year and a half to say it's forbidden to kill children. It will probably take them another year and a half to realise they don't automatically have to fall in behind Netanyahu every time there's a new crisis.' 'There are no voices in Israel questioning this, apart from us, and we're Palestinians and leftists, so apparently not to be trusted,' Touma-Suleiman said. 'Even those who call themselves the Zionist left are supporting the war.' 'Israelis are raised being told they're in danger and that they're going to need to do everything they can to survive,' she added. Only last week, things seemed very different. Domestically, Netanyahu and his coalition were under pressure from a parliament, public and even military that appeared to have grown tired of the country's seemingly endless war on Gaza. Open letters protesting the burden that the war was imposing upon Israeli lives and, in some cases, Palestinian ones had come from members of the military and from within its universities and colleges. Large numbers of reservists were also believed to be refusing to turn up for duty. There was also pressure to hold an inquiry into Netanyahu and his government's failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and a corruption trial that has haunted Netanyahu since 2019 rumbled on. Now, the prime minister leads a public and parliament that, apart from a few notable exceptions, appears united behind his leadership and its new attacks upon an old enemy, Iran. That is despite the unprecedented attacks that Israel has faced over the past week with ballistic missiles crashing into Tel Aviv, Haifa and other Israeli cities – killing at least 24 Israelis. On Monday, a poll conducted by Israel's Channel 14 showed 'overwhelming' public support for the prime minister with editorials and coverage across much of the Israeli media similarly supportive of the prime minister. On Tuesday, one of the country's leading newspapers, The Times of Israel, echoed the claims of politicians, such as Lapid, that Iran was committing war crimes in response to Israel's unprovoked attacks on Friday, itself deemed illegal by some legal scholars. No mention was made of the accusations of genocide against Israel being considered by the International Court of Justice or the warrants for war crimes issued against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant by the International Criminal Court. 'Through a [long] campaign led by Netanyahu and others, the idea that Iran is the source of all anti-Israeli sentiment in the region, not the plight of the Palestinians, who are occupied and subjected to ethnic cleansing, has largely become entrenched within Israeli politics,' Israeli political analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg said of the dramatic political unity that has followed on the heels of Friday's attacks. 'The idea that Iran is the source of all evil has become embedded across Israeli society.' However, Netanyahu has squandered support before, and he may do so again. Much like in Gaza, Netanyahu has set maximalist war aims. In Gaza, it was a 'total victory' over Hamas while with Iran he has said Israel will end Iran's nuclear programme and even suggested the possibility of regime change in Tehran. Netanyahu may find once again that it is easy to start wars but not to finish them in a manner that is satisfactory to his political base. 'Netanyahu is making a big gamble,' Dov Waxman, professor of Israel studies at the University of California-Los Angeles, told Al Jazeera. 'If the war doesn't succeed in destroying Iran's nuclear programme or forcing Iran to make unprecedented concessions to reach a new nuclear agreement, then it will be considered a failure in Israel, and this will no doubt hurt Netanyahu politically. And if the war drags on and Israeli casualties continue to mount, then Israeli public opinion may well turn against the war and blame Netanyahu for initiating it.' However, the degree to which a change in the public and political mood may act as a check upon Netanyahu and his government is unclear. Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored the public pressure to find a deal to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza with some government members even directly criticising family members of captives. 'Netanyahu has just weeks, maybe even days, of public support left to him if the damage continues,' Flaschenberg said, 'But as we've seen in Gaza, that doesn't really matter. So if he does stretch it out, as part of his apparent policy of endless war, then that's what he'll do. The only thing that can really stop this new war is a decisive stand by the US. That's it.'
Al Jazeera
3 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Iran war gives Netanyahu political breathing room in Israel
Two confidence votes, each fewer than seven days apart, tell much of the story of Israel's political transformation since it launched attacks on longstanding regional nemesis Iran on Friday. Early on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government narrowly survived a vote that ensured its continuation after an 11th-hour deal was reached with ultra-Orthodox parties who are a key force within it. Had a deal not been found, then parliament would have been dissolved and new elections called, leaving Netanyahu vulnerable as opposition against him grew. But then on Monday, a similar attempt to dissolve parliament failed miserably after no confidence motions brought forward by parties led by Palestinian citizens of Israel failed to attract any support from the centre and the right. Of course, in between, Israel had launched its attacks on Iran, upending domestic Israeli politics as well as regional geopolitics. Rejecting Monday's no confidence motions, opposition politician Pnina Tamano-Shata – who has been critical of Netanyahu in the past – told lawmakers the efforts were 'disconnected from reality'. That is now the mainstream view in Israeli politics, with opposition parties falling into line behind Netanyahu and a war against Iran that the prime minister has been promoting for at least two decades. Writing in Israeli media the day after Israel's strikes on Iran began, former Prime Minister and self-styled centrist Yair Lapid, who less than a month earlier had been calling upon the prime minister to seek a truce in Gaza, wrote of his full support for the attacks on Iran while urging the United States to participate in the war. He was then pictured shaking Netanyahu's hand with a map of Iran on a wall behind the two right-wing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whom polls have shown to be a favourite to replace Netanyahu if early elections were called, also told Israeli media: 'There is no right, no left, no opposition and no coalition' in regard to the attacks on Iran. Speaking to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Aida Touma-Suleiman, a member of parliament representing the Hadash-Ta'al Party, said: 'Politically, the switch to supporting the war by the main opposition isn't surprising. It took them a year and a half to say it's forbidden to kill children. It will probably take them another year and a half to realise they don't automatically have to fall in behind Netanyahu every time there's a new crisis.' 'There are no voices in Israel questioning this, apart from us, and we're Palestinians and leftists, so apparently not to be trusted,' Touma-Suleiman said. 'Even those who call themselves the Zionist left are supporting the war.' 'Israelis are raised being told they're in danger and that they're going to need to do everything they can to survive,' she added. Only last week, things seemed very different. Domestically, Netanyahu and his coalition were under pressure from a parliament, public and even military that appeared to have grown tired of the country's seemingly endless war on Gaza. Open letters protesting the burden that the war was imposing upon Israeli lives and, in some cases, Palestinian ones had come from members of the military and from within its universities and colleges. Large numbers of reservists were also believed to be refusing to turn up for duty. There was also pressure to hold an inquiry into Netanyahu and his government's failure to prevent the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and a corruption trial that has haunted Netanyahu since 2019 rumbled on. Now, the prime minister leads a public and parliament that, apart from a few notable exceptions, appears united behind his leadership and its new attacks upon an old enemy, Iran. That is despite the unprecedented attacks that Israel has faced over the past week with ballistic missiles crashing into Tel Aviv, Haifa and other Israeli cities – killing at least 24 Israelis. On Monday, a poll conducted by Israel's Channel 14 showed 'overwhelming' public support for the prime minister with editorials and coverage across much of the Israeli media similarly supportive of the prime minister. On Tuesday, one of the country's leading newspapers, The Times of Israel, echoed the claims of politicians, such as Lapid, that Iran was committing war crimes in response to Israel's unprovoked attacks on Friday, itself deemed illegal by some legal scholars. No mention was made of the accusations of genocide against Israel being considered by the International Court of Justice or the warrants for war crimes issued against Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant by the International Criminal Court. 'Through a [long] campaign led by Netanyahu and others, the idea that Iran is the source of all anti-Israeli sentiment in the region, not the plight of the Palestinians, who are occupied and subjected to ethnic cleansing, has largely become entrenched within Israeli politics,' Israeli political analyst Nimrod Flaschenberg said of the dramatic political unity that has followed on the heels of Friday's attacks. 'The idea that Iran is the source of all evil has become embedded across Israeli society.' However, Netanyahu has squandered support before, and he may do so again. Much like in Gaza, Netanyahu has set maximalist war aims. In Gaza, it was a 'total victory' over Hamas while with Iran he has said Israel will end Iran's nuclear programme and even suggested the possibility of regime change in Tehran. Netanyahu may find once again that it is easy to start wars but not to finish them in a manner that is satisfactory to his political base. 'Netanyahu is making a big gamble,' Dov Waxman, professor of Israel studies at the University of California-Los Angeles, told Al Jazeera. 'If the war doesn't succeed in destroying Iran's nuclear programme or forcing Iran to make unprecedented concessions to reach a new nuclear agreement, then it will be considered a failure in Israel, and this will no doubt hurt Netanyahu politically. And if the war drags on and Israeli casualties continue to mount, then Israeli public opinion may well turn against the war and blame Netanyahu for initiating it.' However, the degree to which a change in the public and political mood may act as a check upon Netanyahu and his government is unclear. Netanyahu has repeatedly ignored the public pressure to find a deal to secure the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza with some government members even directly criticising family members of captives. 'Netanyahu has just weeks, maybe even days, of public support left to him if the damage continues,' Flaschenberg said, 'But as we've seen in Gaza, that doesn't really matter. So if he does stretch it out, as part of his apparent policy of endless war, then that's what he'll do. The only thing that can really stop this new war is a decisive stand by the US. That's it.'
France 24
3 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
'The US should participate in the war against Iran,' Israel's Lapid says
11:32 From the show In an interview with FRANCE 24, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said the US "should participate" in the ongoing war between Israel and Iran. "President Trump is going to do what's best for the United States and I trust him to take the right measures," he said. Lapid, who is usually a staunch critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed strong support for his rival's decision to attack Iran. Lapid, who is leader of the opposition centrist Yesh Atid party, insisted that Israel"didn't declare war on Iran" and that "Iran declared war on Israel and the Jewish people decades ago". "They were rushing into nuclear capabilities and they couldn't have those because it's an existential threat to Israel and to the world," he claimed, pushing back on the assertion that Iran was not actually building a nuclear weapon. The Israeli opposition leader added that the Iranian regime was "oppressing" its citizens, and "should have been removed years ago by the Iranians, by not the Israelis".
CTV News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Israeli opposition leader Lapid rallies behind Iran operation, after months of criticizing Netanyahu
TEL AVIV, Israel — Roughly 24 hours before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering assault on Iran, Israel's opposition was scheming to bring down his government. Now, just days into the ongoing operation against Iran, the opposition has closed ranks behind the effort, suspending months of bitter criticism against Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza. It's a sharp about-face for a constellation of parties that have criticized Netanyahu throughout the war for what they have charged is his politically motivated decision-making. 'It's not the right moment to do politics,' opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yair Lapid told The Associated Press on Monday in his first international media interview since the start of the operation against Iran. The latest conflict began when Israel launched an assault on Iran's top military leaders, uranium enrichment sites and nuclear scientists that it said was necessary to prevent its longtime adversary from getting any closer to building an atomic weapon — which Israel says would pose an existential threat. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful. Lapid spoke just days after he called from the dais of the Israeli parliament for an election to oust Netanyahu. The opposition's attempt to dissolve parliament narrowly failed. Lapid said the circumstances have now changed. 'Yes, this government needs to be toppled, but not in the midst of an existential fight,' Lapid said. And that fight has become personal. His son's home was damaged in an Iranian strike, although no one was there at the time except for house pets. Israeli politicians across the spectrum typically fall in line behind government actions during times of war or crisis. But the deep polarization in the country, much of it fueled by the public's view of Netanyahu, and the loud protests against his rule that preceded the war in Gaza and continued through it make the opposition's change of tack all the more striking. The past 20 months have also been an unprecedented time in Israeli history, with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 — the deadliest the country has ever faced — sparking the war in Gaza. And then a war against the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and now a major escalation with Iran. Netanyahu, a divisive leader who has governed nearly uninterrupted for 16 years, has been at the helm throughout that period. On trial for alleged corruption and reliant on far-right parties to maintain his power, he has stoked accusations that he's prolonging the war in Gaza to appease his governing partners and delay an election that could put an end to his rule. While Netanyahu says he's acting in Israel's best interest, opposition parties, including Lapid's Yesh Atid, have hit hard at that idea. But after Israel began its operation against Iran, he and other opposition party leaders lent their support, emphasizing that they were backing the military. 'We didn't rally behind the government,' Lapid said from his party office in Tel Aviv. 'We rallied behind the necessity to operate on the moment that was inevitable.' Lapid, a former television anchorman and one-time boxer, entered politics in 2013. He became caretaker prime minister briefly in 2022, as part of a deal with another party. He didn't succeed in forming a coalition in an election held shortly after, which returned Netanyahu to power in a government made up of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties. Throughout most of the war, Lapid and other opposition lawmakers have pushed Netanyahu to make a deal with Hamas to free hostages held in Gaza. Lapid made a speech last month to Israel's parliament, which is called the Knesset, that marked 600 days since the start of the war in Gaza. Lapid slammed Netanyahu for bringing a conflict upon Israel that didn't exist during his own brief time in office. Netanyahu, whose own political fortunes have mostly dimmed throughout the Middle East conflict, has enjoyed brief bumps in public support on the tail of military successes, like a round of fighting with Hezbollah last year. He could gain the same boost, if public opinion rallies behind the Iran operation. Polls before the campaign showed that Netanyahu would struggle to form a coalition if an election were held today. Lapid's party, now the second largest with 24 seats in the 120-seat parliament, could lose half or more of its support, polls show. But Lapid said that the politics, and Netanyahu's motivations, were irrelevant now, because striking Iran was 'the right thing to do.' 'Benjamin Netanyahu is a bitter political rival,' said Lapid. 'I think he's the wrong person to lead the country. But on that, he was right.' By Tia Goldenberg.
Sky News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Israel-Iran live: Iran launches more missiles at Israel, IDF says - as Israel strikes TV station on air
Send us your questions on the Israel-Iran conflict Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke and international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn will be answering your questions on the Israel-Iran conflict in a live Q&A on Wednesday. Submit yours in the box at the top of the page. Opposition Israeli politicians close ranks with Netanyahu Opposition Israeli politicians have gone from scheming to bring down Benjamin Netanyahu's government to closing ranks with him over the last few days. Months of bitter criticism of Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza have been suspended. "It's not the right moment to do politics," opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid says. Lapid spoke just days after he told Israeli parliament they needed an election to oust Netanyahu. "Yes, this government needs to be toppled, but not in the midst of an existential fight," Lapid adds - his son's home was damaged in an Iranian strike. During times of war or crisis, Israeli politicians across the spectrum typically fall in line behind the government. But there has been deep polarisation across the country, much of it fuelled by the public's view of Netanyahu. Netanyahu is a divisive leader who has governed for nearly 16 years uninterrupted. He is on trial for alleged corruption and is reliant on the far-right parties for power. Depart Iran immediately, US tells its citizens US citizens should leave Iran immediately, the state department has warned. Those who are unable to leave should be prepared to shelter in place for extended periods of time, it added. The department said Americans should not travel to Iran for any reason. Germany to evacuate citizens from Israel Germany will start evacuating its citizens from Israel via Jordan, a foreign ministry spokesperson says. A charter flight will travel from the capital, Amman. "Germans in Israel who are registered on the Elefand crisis preparedness list have been informed about this option and the details," the spokesperson said. It joins Portugal, Slovakia and Poland in attempting to help their citizens leave. Citizens from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, the Philippines and Finland have crossed from Iran into Azerbaijan, according to local media. Iran launches missiles at Israel, IDF says Iran has launched missiles toward Israel, the Israel Defence Forces has said. Alerts have been activated in several areas in the north of the country, it added. "The air force is working to intercept and attack wherever necessary to eliminate the threat. "The defense is not hermetic, and therefore the instructions of the Home Front Command must continue to be obeyed." Watch: Israel attacks Iranian state TV station on air Israel has struck the studios of Iranian state news channel IRIB. A loud explosion was heard as the anchor was presenting live on air, followed by some light debris falling from the ceiling. Moments ago, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz posted on X: "The Iranian regime's propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority was attacked by the IDF after a widespread evacuation of the surrounding residents." Trump says Iran wants to de-escalate Echoing the sources in our last post, Donald Trump says Iran wants to de-escalate the conflict with Israel. At a news conference at the G7 summit in Canada, the president was asked if he had heard any signals or seen any messages from intermediaries that Iran wishes to de-escalate the conflict. "Yes, they'd like to talk, but they should have done that before," says Trump. "Iran is not winning this war." Asked what it would take for the US to become involved militarily, he says: "I don't want to talk about that." Iran wants Trump to press Israel for ceasefire Iran has gone to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman asking them to go to Donald Trump, so he can press Israel to agree to a ceasefire, sources have told Reuters news agency. In return, Iran is said to be willing to offer flexibility in its nuclear negotiations with the US. The Wall Street Journal reported that Tehran was signalling it wanted to end fighting as well, citing Middle Eastern and European officials. Iran's Revolutionary Guards 'call on Tel Aviv residents to evacuate' Iran's Revolutionary Guards have called on the residents of Tel Aviv to evacuate as soon as possible, the country's state media reported. It is a move that exactly mirrors Israel's own tactics. Earlier today, Israel told residents of Tehran to evacuate, and later conducted strikes on the Iranian capital - see our 14.46 post. British nationals in Israel told to register their presence by PM Sir Keir Starmer has advised British nationals in Israel to register their presence. "For British nationals in Israel, we're giving advice today to register their presence, so there will be a portal for that," he said. "So I think all countries are also taking the necessary measures on a protective basis." You can find the registration link here. The prime minister is in Canada for the G7 summit. He also called for de-escalation, which he said was a focus of the meeting. "We all accept Israel's right to self-defence of course, but there must be de-escalation and that will be the central focus of much of the discussion today."
