Opposition leader Yair Lapid vowed to continue working for the freedom of the hostages in Hamas captivity and slammed those who were not speaking up in their defense at a Washington DC rally for Israel and the hostages on Sunday.
Addressing the crowd, he said, “We came here [today] to say there are truth and lies in this world.
"The hostages are victims of terror and hatred, as they are victims of anyone who remains silent and of anyone who tries to explain to us that there are two sides to the story.
"There are not two sides to the story. This is not a story. These are real people.
"Each one of us is responsible for their fate. No one has the right to pretend that this is normal and that life goes on. Every person, every leader, every government must be a part of the effort to bring them home.”
“Every one of us is responsible for their fate.”
Yair Lapid left for Washington on Saturday to meet with senior officials of the Biden administration in the White House and the State Department, as well as senior Republican and Democratic senators.
The opposition leader will also meet with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Amid Israeli tensions with the US, as the war in Gaza continues, Lapid has blamed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the “collapse” in relations.