Oh, I don't think so. The man revels in power and basks in attention. Ignore him -- and he's a VERY unhappy camper. He'll toe the line. Besides, he was elected on the basis of his promise to cure internal ills -- no one gave him a mandate to focus on international affairs. He needs to focus his energies on improving the economical situation of Israel's lower middle classes and on making sure that the haredi serve -- or lose their stipends. That's why he received the number of votes he did -- his big smile and capped teeth had nothing to do with it.

Right now Lapid wants all the ministries that will allow him to give all the left / centre everything they want and he will walk the next election become the next PM. Bibi needs to think about the future because right no if Lapid says in opposition next election he has potential to be a one election wonder and next election Lapid will split the left / centrist vote along with Labor and anybdody else who stands. Bring Lapid into the coalition Bibi risks becoming Lapids puppet and destroying hs own chance of winning the next election. He can form a coalition of 61 if he has Bennett & the religious. Mofaz won't say no if he is invited and I think provided he offers her a reasonable ministry ( not top ones ) Livni will join knowing her political survival depends on it so this would give Bibi a coalition of 69 and as Peres has already appointed him PM he can't spoil things. Anything less will be political suicide for Bibi and the right in general.

Please do not give in. Do not budge one centimeter. We shall all be pleased to finally see a man of principle in our sad political system. I hope you will be in opposition and fight to bring down the government and force elections and gain at least 40 mandates. This is guaranteed, and you can then start to reshape and remodel the sad state of affairs that we are in at the moment. There are so many people who have put and will put all their money on you. Please do not let them down.

He & his party of unknown newcomers havn't proven anything yet, but he behaves like he owns the state. "It's just 19 mandates Mr. Lapid, cool it!". We've all seen bragging people and their 'predictions before!

We do not know how it will end, and perhaps Lapid will come to his senses, but it is not surprising that when faced with reality Lapid reverts to being a prima donna. Yes, he has 19 mandates, but in fact, he has ONLY 19 mandates, not 61. Politics and governing is not about pouting and throwing tantrums. Lapid will need to compromise with the other coalition parties. Imagine Netanyahu at this moment: American foreign policy in shambles with rooky Secretaries of State and Defense, Egypt and Syria falling apart, Jordan and Saudi Arabia soon to follow. Israel surrounded by well-armed Jihadis, and Iran working feverishly to build nukes. Netanyahu thought he could set-up a broad rational national government, free of sectorial (Haredi and unions) blackmail to face the challenges to Israel, butn ow he has to face Lapid's little boy tantrums. Hopefully Lapid will resign and let Yael German take his place.

If Bibi was smart he would form a government without Lapid but try to achieve some of what Lapid was trying to do. He should limit the ministers to 20 or 21 maximum 22. get some sort of resolution for getting the arab and charediem into the army. If he can do thiose things next election Lapid will get 5 seats and will fade into oblivion if Bibi can not do that he will eventually be replaced by Lapid who has no experience and is so one dimensional it scares me to think what would happen if he becomes PM.

exactly thats what i want Bibi to do , is to ignore Lapid and form a right wing government and try to reach a solution to the draft issue based on Moshe Yaalon proposal which accepted to the ultraorthodox parties also if Bibi changed the system of the government without Lapid, Lapid will disappear next elections especially his party is considered a center party , center parties in Israel are irrelevant all the center parties dissappeared like the third way, the center party , Shinui , and Kadima shalom

Does anyone remember that a mere four months ago Shaul Mofaz boasted he'd soon be P.M.? As ludicrous as Mofaz's boast sounds, it had more credibility than Lapid's. Lapid is the very temporary leader of a very temporary party. Come the next election; it is likely to melt away like an ice cube on a hot summer day. Lapid's party has no ideology and it's built on nothing but Lapid's personal celebrity.

#2. Zionist Forever: Considering you recently predicted Labor would govern Israel and Shelly would be the next P.M., perhaps you should hold off on making predictions. Your prediction that Lapid will soon be P.M. is even more ridiculous.

Israel does not have to have another elections for a leader. If a balanced budget is presented now then the leader should be elected now.

Israel is now facing Her biggest Existential threaths, it is just ahead of Her. All what is written in the Torah will come to pass in the coming Decade. In this crisis the Israeli PM as the true Statesman he is, try to Unite Israel as much as He can. His responsibility and the Burden on His shoulders are immense. And now comes a Popular Elected Bimbo, showing off in his Lofty Imaginations and dividing the PMs efforts. This Bimbo are no Statesman showing any kind of responsibility, His interesst is in Himself and not in Israel. Honour to the Israeli PM and those who rally around Him. God bless Israel in Her most challenging and difficult Days ahead. Arn.Sweden.

At tat time it was before the election and polls were all over the place I also believed that Peres being bias would prefer to see a left wing block. Election over Labor doing miserably and Lapid doing so well you look at what he wants and his ambition to be PM. It becomes clear he s trying lay the ground work for an election victory next time. He wants the foreign minustry which will be especially useful when it comes to dealing with Palestinians He wants fiancé which give him contol of the purse strings. He wants housing which of course means he can have a popular housing plan. He also wants education, allow him to implement anti Haredi education rules. He can go into the next electin saying look t all the amazing things I have done. The left will say say what have Labor and the other lefti parties have archived nd look a what Laoid has done, the left would unite around him. If Bibi has a right wing coalition along with Livni & Mofaz all Lapid can do is talk from opposition making promises same as the othe parties in opposition do. If Lapid is in the coalition he will not only be pulling Bibis strings but he will pull out and bring down the government when he thinks he has best chance of winning an election. Lapid is already announcing its his on to be the next PM and thieving his waight around before a volition is evn formed, he is a danger to Bibi and the right.

Livni making uncompromising stands. He may well find himself outside government unless he is wise. Bibi can affect many intenal changes without Lapid and without splitting the nation.A narrow majority government can make progress Lapid. He needs to seek conciliation and be far more pragmatic. I think the electionfocused internal economic and social issues. Bibi already knew these issues and means to make changes-with or without lapid.Security and national resolve consensus needed. Does lapid have it? Bibi a very adroit politician has kept Obama at bay despite enormous pressure from US.

Lapid can keep Meretz, Labor, and the Arab parties company. By the next election we will all be like Yesh Atid who? remember Shinnui? Exactly...

The problem with Lapid now is the ministries he wants, if he even gets some of them it will allow him to lay the foundations for an election win next time which is what he is trying to do. He will constantly be dictating terms and probably pull out the coalition if he thinks the time is right to hold an election which he will have a real chance of winning. A coalition with Lapid will mean whilst Bibi will be PM Lapid will be the power behind the throne. If Lapid is in opposition the fad will wear off especially if Labor get a leader that inspires more confidence then he will be a one election wonder. He got his 19 seats pretty much because people didn't like Livni & her arrogance and Shelly and her amateurish attitudes whilst Lapid was smooth talker and acted like somebody whose only concern was whats in the country not politics. Give him power now and he will create the image of being PM material giving him a very real chance of being the next PM so if Bibi wants any chance at being PM next time round and not being Lapids lackey now then he needs to leave Lapid to rot in opposition

If Lapid chooses to join the opposition, he is not true to his voters who voted for him to act from within and get his domestic agenda moving, or at least part of it. Politics is the art of the possible. No one gets everything in coalition politics and no one should expect it. If he becomes too much or a prima dona, perhaps he should have stayed in the media.

Before the elections:"I will not try to form an opposition block to Netanyahu with Arab MK's like Hanin Zoabi. It's not gonna happen". After the elections: "The opposition isn't a bad option." Honesty, integrity, loyality...non-existant. Welcome to the Knesset!

I told you that lapid is another olmert with more guts as he takes karate whereas olmert was afraid of one drop of blood so tried to offered all concessions praying for arabs to stop the killing. lapid rationalizes and talks big like he is not afraid to sit in opposition. Like livni, he is a big talker with no bottom line results. Knowing this, israelis would give you 12 seats instead of 19 if elections were reheld today. Just shut up and negotiate. This who we want to negotiate israel's land???!! Israelis- the guilt syndrome where like levy you even deny jewish history.

The next governement will need to reduce the budget deficit . That means cutting many services to the public , diminishing child and other allowances , reasing taxes and prices . Everything not very popular . So , if Lapid sits in the opposition , he can blame Bibi for this situation . And this situation is there "thanks" to bibi giving in to the charedi sector ! He was elected on a "share of the burden" program , that should be done , completely without any exeptions .

Nobody gives nothing for nothing . Negotiation consists of give and take. The Haredi sector has many seats and therefore the same rights as the secular parties .The share of the burden must be negotiated like everything else. "completely without any exception" sounds quite intolerant. How can Bibi COMPLETELY satisfy all the parties? Those who want everything won t get anything. That s the way it goes. Remember Livni at the last elections. Sorry Charles,i would sincerely be glad if you could have it your way,as long it is fair play.

I cannot seem to find anything to corroborate service. Did mummie and daddy make military service for baby Yair go bye-bye? It would appear that the answer is "yes." For shame.

As most of them don't contribute to the State , but want more benefits for them . If we want to be "Am Echad" , EVERYONE , without exeption should share his/her part of the burden , the obligations . It's not wanting everything , it's wanting egality of and for all citizens . That's fair , or not ? Everyone , without exeption , has the same rights , but also the same obligations to contribute to the State .

education,what you say sounds logic and fair.But the Haredim have a completely different optic. To say that they do not contribute is wrong.They are producing lots of children . Caring for them is a full time job. Many of them will in a near future join the modern society that i hope will become more Jewish. They are bright and will be a great asset to their country . As Jews always were. Many Haredim are traders having connections in the four corners of the world bringing lots of costumers to Israel. I ll better not talk about their spiritual contribution which is essential to the Jewish land. Concerning the IDF,the religious unities are full and the more unities they will set up,the more religious soldiers will serve.Not all have the skills to do so as it happens in the Secular society too. Be patient,Charles,and you will see things moving in the right direction.

Others , lehavdil , than charedim have many children too , and don't contribute NOW to the State . Are the Charedim in our birth country not caring for their children ? And they work and "study" tora too . In the near future ? Why did they wait more than 60 years to begin "in the near future" to contribute ? Spiritual contribution ? do you mean separate buses ? The big trade is not made by charedim , it are the 21st century Israelis who do it .

i might convince you,is, that the best thing i could do, is to shut up. Dear Charles,I understand your arguments and i sympathise with your feelings of frustation . Of course It would be nice,if it could be mutual. My dream,which at this stage is an utopia.,is that Israel will be an united strong nation.Therefore the Secular and Orthodox Israelis must ,in my opinion, take steps towards the Golden Middle way consisting of Tora Science Work and IDF. In 26 i left unsaid what i think the Secular ought to do. I only mentioned the first steps , the Orthodox society did in your direction. But everything i said you demolished. If all you need , is to win.... So let it be.This doesn t take away that ,I wish you sincerely Hazlaha and what is even more important, to live a happy life.