This file photo shows Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. AP
At a press conference in Tel Aviv, Lapid cited classified “intelligence and operational information” and said the current strategy is fueling operational chaos, deepening international isolation, and leaving Israel without any political vision or plan for how to end the war.
“Anybody who fought will have to hope that they are not arrested the moment they leave Israel’s borders,” he warned, about growing international scrutiny of Israel’s war on Gaza and the legal risks facing its military and officials abroad.
He said the government has lost control of both the military and diplomatic fronts, accusing Netanyahu’s coalition of lacking a clear objective or exit strategy.
“The Israeli government no longer knows why soldiers continue to die in Gaza,” Lapid said.
The Israeli government has “failed in the war in Gaza,” Lapid said, accusing Netanyahu of dragging the country deeper into a war with no end.
“Only the Netanyahu government refuses to discuss the question of how the war will end. It has not presented any plan, any political vision.”
Lapid said that the continuation of the war would benefit no one, with captives not returning home, and more Israeli soldiers dying in the Strip.
Lapid also warned that the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, caused by Israeli bombardment and restrictions, is now backfiring against Israel’s interests.
He said that continuing the war without a political resolution would only deepen regional instability and increase international pressure on Israel.“
The management of humanitarian aid in Gaza has collapsed,” Lapid added. “Israel needs to make sure that there is no hunger in Gaza,” he added.
He noted that dying of hunger-related causes and said that unless immediate and unrestricted humanitarian relief is allowed in, the crisis will continue to deteriorate rapidly.
Lapid called for the establishment of a civilian administration in Gaza, supported and led by a coalition of "moderate Arab states," to assume governance of the strip once hostilities end.
“I have laid out a well-organized political plan, a road map that will lead us to the end of the war,” he said, claiming that he had conducted extensive discussions with the United States and Arab countries regarding the idea.
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