Opposition leaders on Monday sharply criticized the government’s wartime conduct, accusing it of having sacrificed a swifter victory in the multi-front conflicts against Israel's adversaries because it chose, instead, to focus on divisive legislation instead of security priorities.
“This house is out of sync with the people,” Blue and White chair Benny Gantz said at a faction meeting that day. “We are winning in Tehran and losing in Jerusalem. Instead of focusing on dismantling the regime in Tehran, they are busy splitting the role of the attorney-general. Instead of focusing only on pushing Hezbollah away from the border, they are busy with laws that will push Jews away from the Western Wall. Instead of focusing on providing answers for people sitting in shelters in the North, they are busy giving benefits to television channels close to the government.”
The Blue and White leader continued, saying, “My colleagues in this house from the coalition, where do you want to get to? Do you think my son and your children serving in the reserves care about the Police Internal Investigations Department law, or about protecting their friends' backs? The distance between the people and the people’s house has never been greater. I call on the Knesset speaker and all coalition members: get a grip. Take responsibility.”
Gantz also addressed the security situation in Lebanon.
“I call on the government today to make a decision: not to evacuate Israeli communities, but yes to evacuating all of southern Lebanon until there is another option, from the first house in Kafr Kila to the Qasmiya bridge.”
Regarding the possibility of negotiations with Lebanon, Gantz said they could take place only alongside the military dismantling of Hezbollah.
“I support direct negotiations with the Lebanese government, but they will take place only under fire that continues to strike Hezbollah. After the previous agreement with the Lebanese government, I said it was not good enough and that it would be tested by the test of determination. We have reached that moment of testing, and we must not blink. Until Hezbollah is dismantled, we must continue dismantling it militarily. If the Lebanese government wants to take responsibility, recognize the State of Israel, and dismantle Hezbollah, it is more than welcome,” Gantz said.
“That is what I told senior officials, and that is what I tell the public as well. From my deep familiarity with Lebanese society, I know that if we act with full military force and full diplomatic wisdom, we can reach normalization with Lebanon within months, dismantle Hezbollah, and achieve complete quiet for residents of the North. Therefore, despite the difficulty, we must not stop,” Gantz added.
The chairman of Yisrael Beytenu, Avigdor Liberman, also had criticism for the government at a Monday faction meeting.
“Two and a half years into the war, and all the fronts against Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah are still open, Liberman said. “The October 7 government is bringing us back to the starting point. We have ‘forgotten’ Hamas lately, but even today, dozens of trucks enter Gaza bringing everything with them, including chocolates and sweets.”
According to Liberman, yesterday, a letter of support from Hamas for the new supreme leader of Iran was published, in which Hamas urged him to keep all fronts open.
Liberman: We must redefine war goal to mean regime change in Iran, eliminating Hezbollah
“Where is the ‘total victory’ over Hamas?” Liberman asked. “The same ‘total victory’ we are now seeing in the North. We must clearly redefine the goals of the war, overthrowing the regime in Iran and eliminating Hezbollah. This government simply is not capable of doing that.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid also attacked the government’s conduct at the start of his Yesh Atid faction meeting.
“There is nothing more transparent than the government’s plan, that because of the war, we will stay silent while they dismantle the state,” he said. “That will not work for them. We will continue supporting the security forces, but they will not succeed in silencing us. They are putting on the table the most divisive, the most polarizing, the most destructive laws.”
“The fact that they bring these laws during wartime is contempt for the people sitting in shelters, for the pilots operating in Iran, and for the soldiers fighting in Lebanon,” Lapid added.
Democrats chairman Yair Golan also voiced his criticism.
“For two and a half years, the IDF and the soldiers have been winning in battle, but because of one man and a failing and corrupt government, even the best army in the world cannot win if it has extremist leadership. This government only knows how to open another front and another round, without a goal and without a strategy to translate military achievements into real security,” Golan said.
Golan argued that Israel needs different leadership, saying the state required “leadership with a security and diplomatic vision, with responsibility and backbone.”
“For Israel to win wars and achieve security, we must first replace this government,” he added.