Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu called Yair Lapid on Friday and said he hoped the caretaker prime minister’s four-month period before the election would be marked by “security silence”, but also warned the newly-minted prime minister that his political rivals would not be those , which provide peace of mind in the run-up to the November 1 vote.
Netanyahu’s call to Lapid was the first public conversation between the two since the latter took over as prime minister hours earlier, tasked with leading the country through elections and until a new government is formed after the collapse of the eight-party coalition led by Yamina leader Naftali Bennett.
Netanyahu told Lapid he wished him “four months of security silence” before the election, a spokesman for the Likud leader said. Netanyahu, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2021, is trying to return to power after a year at the helm of the opposition.
But during the conversation, the two disagreed over how the opposition leader would receive updates on Israel’s security situation.
Lapid’s spokesman said in a statement that the prime minister had invited Netanyahu to “come, as is customary, for a security briefing in [Lapid’s] office with the Secretary of War.
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According to Netanyahu’s spokesman, the opposition leader replied that he wanted to receive the legally authorized security updates from Lapid’s military secretary, but without Lapid present “to prevent the security briefing from becoming a political tool before the election.” Netanyahu’s apparent concern was not to be seen and possibly photographed until he was briefed by the prime minister he wanted to defeat.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with Shin Bet chief Ronen Barr (right), his military secretary Avi Gill and other security officials on April 2, 2022 (Shin Bet)
While the opposition leader is required by law to receive security updates from the prime minister, Netanyahu has refused to comply over the past year as he has regularly challenged Naftali Bennett’s legitimacy as prime minister.
Instead, he received the updates from Bennett’s Secretary of War Avi Gill, managing to avoid being photographed receiving a briefing from his political rival.
Lapid’s statements described Netanyahu’s call as congratulatory, although no such language was used, according to his rival.
Netanyahu’s statement also referred to Lapid as “interim prime minister,” while Lapid was referred to simply as “prime minister” in his cabinet’s testimony.
New Prime Minister Yair Lapid (left) holds a meeting with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, July 1, 2022. (Haim Zach/GPO)
Lapid officially became prime minister at midnight between Thursday and Friday, taking office as the 14th prime minister in Israel’s history.
US President Joe Biden, who is due to land in Israel in less than two weeks, immediately congratulated him in a tweet. Lapid is also scheduled to make a short trip on July 5 to Paris, where he will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Entering politics only a decade ago, the centrist former TV host will be the first non-right-wing prime minister since Ehud Barak left office in 2001, and one of the few without significant military experience.
On Sunday, Lapid is expected to convene the first weekly cabinet meeting of his premiership. Bennett, who announced on Wednesday that he will not stand at the next election, will remain in government as an alternate prime minister. He will also continue to be responsible for the country’s Iran policy.
Earlier on Friday, Lapid met with Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar at Kirya’s military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
New Prime Minister Yair Lapid holds a meeting with security chiefs at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, July 1, 2022. (Haim Zak/GPO)
Shortly after, the new prime minister held a meeting to discuss the “captives and MIAs” – a reference to the two Israeli men and the remains of two IDF soldiers held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
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