Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the opposition in the Knesset on Wednesday of being willing to “lose the war” out of a lust for power.
The prime minister said that if it were up to the opposition, Israel would have “lost the war,” while Hamas would have remained in power while still retaining some hostages in captivity and while receiving binding guarantees from the UN Security Council that would block Israel from returning to war.
However, “most of the people are with us” and are demanding that the war continue until “total victory,” Netanyahu said, accusing the opposition of “defeatism” and of “dampening the spirit” of the people.
Ofer Cassif removed from Knesset podium
Netanyahu’s comments came during a fiery question and answer session with the prime minister, known as the “40 signatures debate.”
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid, who spoke after Netanyahu, said that “two and a half years ago, the citizens of Israel felt safe because they were safe. They knew that the situation was under control and that the country’s leaders were focused solely on them and their well-being.”
Lapid listed a series of financial, diplomatic, and security parameters that he said have deteriorated since the current government took office. The opposition leader criticized Netanyahu for “losing favor” with US President Donald Trump and claimed that Israel’s allies were coming to the realization that the US’s “biggest ally” in the Middle East was no longer Israel, but Saudi Arabia.
“Our next government will not fall apart after a year and a half. We learn from mistakes. We will establish a coalition of hope here. It will set goals that every citizen will want to be a part of: security at the borders, quality education for our children, good relations with the world, and an economy that works for the Israeli middle class.
“We will restore security, send home this failed government and this failed prime minister, and begin rebuilding the country we want for our children,” Lapid said.
Earlier in the discussion, Hadash-Ta’al MK Ofer Cassif was removed by Knesset guards from the Knesset dais on Wednesday after accusing Netanyahu of being responsible for bombing children.
Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana, who ordered the guards to remove Cassif, also ordered them to forcibly remove the next speaker as well, Democrats MK Naama Lazimi, after her speaking time ended.
After the prime minister finished speaking, Democrats MK Gilad Kariv approached him with a map showing several locations in the Gaza border area and called on him to visit these locations. Kariv was then forcibly removed as well.
Other MKs also spoke during the session:
MK Merav Cohen (Yesh Atid) demanded that the prime minister explain why he had yet to fire or denounce his aide, Yonatan Urich, who she said had admitted to providing services and receiving payments from Qatar.
MK Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) hinted in his speech that he believed the prime minister would attempt to delay the 2026 election due to the war but said he would not allow that to happen.
