Yair Lapid in Ynet's studio
Lapid: Attorney general should investigate Netanyahu
Yesh Atid chairman says a culture of corruption surrounds PM and that his speech to Congress makes it seem like Israel has a good relationship with Republicans, not the US.
The attorney general should open an investigation into corruption in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid told Ynet on Sunday.
"I understand the prime minister's policy is now, 'Sure, we're corrupt, but that's allowed. In my empire, I can do whatever I want.' That's his new argument," the Yesh Atid leader said.
Lapid deflected when asked whether he would sit in a coalition with the prime minister, saying that he did not think the prime minister should be reelected. "I think he is damaging the country," he said. "I think there is a whole culture of corruption surrounding him that is disturbing. And I think he has no plan for the future of the country. He has failed in everything that is important even to him."
צילום: אבי חי וניצן דרור
"I call on the attorney general to open an investigation into corruption, because no one should be allowed to be corrupt," said Lapid. The Yesh Atid chairman said that "there is a problem for all the other parties – there is no large party but ours that is totally clean."
Lapid also called on Netanyahu to cancel his upcoming speech to the US Congress following American Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats decided not to attend. "He is causing damage to Iranian issue most of all, and relations with the US," he argued. "Now it seems like Israel has a good relationship not with the United States, but with the Republican Party. This is dangerous."
Lapid also criticized Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog for making similar comments at the Munich security conference. "I didn't like Herzog's behavior, because when you're abroad you should be careful about how you speak about the Israeli government."
Yair Lapid in Ynet's studio
Lapid also discussed attacks by competing parties. "This is the sort of thing that happens when you get a little stronger."
On Saturday, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yoav Galant of Kulanu criticized Lapid's record as finance minister. Lapid responded Sunday by saying that Galant had no understanding of what the job entails. "You have to set national priorities. I lost more than a year of my life in fixing what those with experience did."
Lapid added that if the 2015 budget had passed, it could have improved the situation for the middle class. "All that interests (other politicians) is their political survival. The 2015 budget was supposed to include a NIS 4 billion addition to the Health Ministry. What happened? When Netanyahu went to elections, I told him to wait a month. The Health Ministry has suffered from criminal negligence for years."
Moran Azulay contributed to his report.
