Netanyahu’s Iran presentation damaged Israel, says Lapid

Speaking in the Knesset plenum, Lapid said Netanyahu’s decision to present the findings in such a public manner was another in a long line of recent professional errors.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Updated: MAY 3, 2018 10:25
Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid declaims during the filibuster on Wednesday night, ahead of the Knesset vote on the Police Recommendations Bill (photo credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)
Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid declaims during the filibuster on Wednesday night, ahead of the Knesset vote on the Police Recommendations Bill
(photo credit: HADAS PARUSH/FLASH90)
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday of harming Israel when he presented the findings of the Mossad’s intelligence efforts in Iran.
Israel claims proof Iran "lied" about past nuclear program, April 30, 2018 (Reuters
Speaking in the Knesset plenum, Lapid said Netanyahu’s decision to present the findings in such a public manner was another in a long line of recent professional errors.
“I was against the Iran agreement, which was a bad deal, and I cooperated with the government from the opposition against the agreement, but Netanyahu’s presentation was a mistake that harmed the effort against the deal,” Lapid said. “The prime minister and the head of the Mossad should have gone to the White House, the Bundestag and the international community and presented the findings in closed forums.
That would have been much more effective.”
The Likud responded that “even when it comes to critical security issues, Lapid prefers to tweet and blabber for political reasons.”
“Unlike Lapid’s delusional comments, the decision to broadcast the information about Iran’s nuclear archive was made by all the relevant security authorities,” a Likud spokesman said. “This is what happens when all you did in the army is write for the magazine Bamahane. Those who do not help should at least not get in the way.”
Lapid was not drafted into a combat unit, because he had asthma.
When he was criticized for that before, Lapid has said that he does not have to apologize for a health condition.
Yesh Atid responded to the Likud by saying that “When Netanyahu has nothing to say about professional criticism of him harming Israel’s security, he stoops to the lowest of personal attacks in a matter unbecoming of a prime minister.”
Lapid’s party recalled that Netanyahu entrusted Lapid with key security information when he was a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet “If due to Netanyahu’s broadcast, the United States will be the only country that pulls out of the nuclear deal and Iran will resume uranium enrichment and missile development, there will be even greater damage to national security,” a Yesh Atid spokesman said.