Former prime minister Ehud Barak sharply criticized Blue and White leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid over the weekend for not doing enough to bring down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a video he posted on Twitter, Barak lamented that even while “Netanyahu is drowning in investigations and indictments and is so weak that he cannot even form a government,” the opposition is only “panicking and surrendering to Netanyahu.”He called on Blue and White to change their strategy ahead of the September 17 repeat election and to attack Netanyahu more intensely.“The public is sick of there not being anyone against Netanyahu who is ready to enter the fray and fight as aggressively and nastily as necessary until we win,” he said. “We all need to be ready to do what is necessary to defeat Netanyahu.Barak said that even people on the Right realize Netanyahu’s time is running out. He is expected to formally announce that he is running for Labor chairman after the party decides how to elect its new leader in Wednesday’s party convention.Meanwhile, Netanyahu is expected to reshuffle ministers in his cabinet this week. The education, Diaspora affairs and transportation portfolios are available.Netanyahu has told Union of Right-Wing Parties leader Rafi Peretz that he wants him to be education minister. The other two could go to his number two, Bezalel Smotrich.A source close to Smotrich said he had not yet received a final offer from Netanyahu. Another possibility is that the Diaspora affairs portfolio could go to Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely.Two more portfolios could become available if Netanyahu fires Construction Minister Yifat Shasha Biton and Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel.