Free Republic

Witkoff and Kushner on one side, Rubio and Huckabee on the other: beneath the surface, the US administration is divided over who should be Israel's next prime minister… There was one moment in the Knesset speech on the day the war ended that particularly troubled Likud. It happened when the president spontaneously praised Yair Lapid. "He's a nice guy," he said to Netanyahu — and then jabbed the prime minister: "You don't need to be so tough now that the war is over." Was this a hint that the president intends, God forbid, to adopt neutrality in the upcoming election...

In the suitability for prime minister polls, former prime minister Naftali Bennett continues to emerge as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a direct head-to-head matchup, Channel 12 places Bennett within one percentage point of Netanyahu. In the multi-candidate Channel 14 poll, Bennett ranks second, holding a 12-point lead over the next closest challenger. The dominant topic this week was the fallout from revelations of betrayal within Netanyahu’s office, following reports that senior advisers received funds from Qatar. A Maariv poll shows that 60% of respondents with an opinion do not believe Netanyahu’s claim that he was...

Majorities of Israelis oppose granting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a presidential pardon in his criminal trial…according to a new survey conducted for Zman Yisrael, The Times of Israel’s Hebrew-language sister site, this week. In response to the question, “Do you support or oppose Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon without admitting guilt or expressing remorse?” 53.2 percent of respondents said they oppose it, while 42.4% said they support it, and 4.4% said they don’t know. On the issue of ultra-Orthodox draft exemptions, the respondents were asked if they support or oppose the law proposed by MK Boaz Bismuth: 53.8% said...

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett says he will support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request for a pardon if it is conditioned on the premier’s retirement from politics. “In recent years, the State of Israel has been led into chaos and to the brink of a civil war that threatens the very existence of the state,” Bennett writes on X. “In order to rescue Israel from the chaos, I will support a binding arrangement that includes a respectful retirement from political life alongside the end of the trial,” he says. “That way, we can let it go, unite, and rebuild the...

Opposition leader Yair Lapid warned Sunday morning that Israel is "losing the US" as a result of the government's actions. "The Americans talk to me all the time and they are horrified by what is happening," Lapid said in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet. He dismissed claims that the US is interfering in Israel's internal affairs, saying: "We ask the US to interfere [in our affairs] every day, from aid to funding the Iron Dome. The Americans say clearly that our alliance is based on our shared democratic values, and if you don't maintain them, then the alliance will...

Opposition head Yair Lapid has sharply attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu, alleging that he never made clear his intentions to reform the judiciary prior to elections. "Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday that millions of people voted in favor of the judicial reforms they are proposing. That's a lie. I won't call him a 'liar, son of a liar' as Smotrich did, but this is a lie stated by someone who is weak and is trying to deceive his voters. "They didn't present these reforms to their voters. They didn't tell them how extreme they would be. They stammered every time they were...

The 37th government of the State of Israel, the sixth led by Benjamin Netanyahu, was officially sworn-in in the Knesset plenum on Thursday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to take the oath of office. Most of the heads of the opposition parties were present out of respect for the ceremony, but opposition leader Yair Lapid left the plenary hall even before Netanyahu was sworn-in without shaking his hand as is customary. When National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was sworn-in, Labor MK Gilad Kariv shouted: "Shame: an idol is in the temple!" The government will have 30 ministers and...

An average of 800 terrorist incidents per month - this is the grim figure of the last year which has not yet ended. Along with this, our forces captured about 2,300 terrorists and thwarted hundreds of attacks, including kidnapping and suicide.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid spoke a short while ago today (Tuesday, 11 October 2022), with the President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President Biden began by congratulating Prime Minister Lapid on the historic agreement with Lebanon on a maritime boundary, after a decade of attempts. President Biden told Prime Minister Lapid: “You are making history.” .....

US President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he expressed support for a “two-state solution” for the Israel-Palestinian Arab conflict. “I welcome Prime Minister Lapid's courageous statement at the UN General Assembly: ‘An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy, and for the future of our children,’” ...

A renewed nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is “off the table” for the foreseeable future, President Joe Biden told Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid, according to a report in Hebrew media. Biden and other administration officials conveyed the message in a series of recent conversations with the Israeli premier, Zman Yisrael said. If the nuclear deal is not signed, it would be viewed as the crowning achievement of Lapid’s short term as prime minister, as Israel gears up for its fifth round of elections in just over three years this November. According to the report, the latest draft,...

Russia's Ministry of Justice has requested the liquidation of the Russian branch of the Jewish Agency, a non-profit organisation that promotes immigration to Israel, according to a Moscow court. The website of the Basmanny district court said the ministry filed the request on July 15 and it would be discussed on July 28. No reason for launching the case was given. The move against the Jerusalem-based agency, the largest Jewish non-profit organisation in the world, follows criticism by Israel of Russia's war in Ukraine, where Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid accused it in April of carrying out war crimes.

Many observers believe leaking this information is tied to the Biden administration's efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. As President Biden prepares to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia next week, experts and former officials are warning that an often-overlooked issue risks undermining efforts to increase cooperation among U.S. allies in the Middle East. That issue is anonymous U.S. officials consistently leaking information to the media about alleged covert Israeli operations against Iran, from targeted killings to explosions at nuclear sites. "It's a sign of extraordinary incompetence and unprofessionalism from Biden and his foreign policy team," said Fred Fleitz,...

Held fruitful negotiations with the Prime Minister 🇮🇱 @naftalibennett. Congratulated him and the people of Israel 🇮🇱 on Independence Day! Have informed him about countering the aggressor and about the critical situation in Mariupol.— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 4, 2022

Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday signed into law a bill limiting restitution for Holocaust-related claims. In a Saturday statement, Duda said: "I made a decision today on the act, which in recent months was the subject of a lively and loud debate at home and abroad. After an in-depth analysis, I have decided to sign the amendment." Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), responded: "Today, Poland approved, not for the first time, an anti-Semitic and unethical law. Tonight, I instructed the chargé d'affaires of the Israeli Embassy in Warsaw to return to Israel immediately for indefinite consultations." "The...

Yamina leader Naftali Bennett agreed to forming a coalition government with Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid, N12 reported. The two sides agreed that Bennett will serve first as prime minister until September 2023, when Lapid will take over until November 2025, according to N12. The swearing-in ceremony is expected to take place in 10 days, following an announcement of the new government either on Saturday night or Sunday.

Blue and White leader Yair Lapid addressed US plans for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, emphasizing that it's important the US "stay out of" the upcoming Israeli election. "Of course we expect the American administration to stay out of our elections, the same way the Americans expect us to stay away from their elections," Lapid told i24NEWS in an interview aired Wednesday. "It's just the civil way of treating politics," .....

On Sunday, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid led a demonstration at Tel Aviv's Center train station against proposed amendments to the Draft Law proposed by haredi lawmakers. Together with dozens of Yesh Atid activists, Lapid castigated efforts by haredi MKs to extend army deferments for yeshiva students. "Nowhere in the Torah does it say that other people can die for you. Nowhere in the Torah does it exempt you from meaningful national service," said Lapid. Flanking Lapid was a demonstrator in haredi garb, who held a sign reading "Real believers (in God) do not dodge the draft". However, sharp-eyed...

Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid took part in the Saban Forum in Washington, during a discussion under the title "How to restore order to the Middle East." MK Lapid presented his political plan for the region and called for US policymakers to adopt it. "About two months ago I presented Israelis with a plan to separate from the Palestinians. This is not a pretty separation." He continued: "It's difficult, not aesthetic. It's goal is limited: To set a regional council, with Western countries and the US at its head, that will start the process towards a regional arrangement that will...

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid has reached out to Israel's youngest voting population Saturday night, holding a question-and-answer session with 200 members of Yesh Atid at Tel Aviv's Tailor Made club in a pre-election appearance. Lapid was joined by MKs Yaakov Perry, Mickey Levi, Ronen Hoffman, Aliza Lavie, Pnina Tamano-Shata, and Boaz Toporovsky. "Israel owes you an apology," Lapid stated in opening remarks, "because for 20 years it hasn't been working for you." "You are the ones who are here today, you decide to take your destiny in your hands and lead the change," he added. "Yesh Atid came to...