Lapid: Israel must attend Arab League meeting

Israeli Finance Minister and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has promised to advance civil unions and push for a regional peace accord should he serve in the next Israeli government, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Answering questions from English speakers on his Facebook page, Lapid on Tuesday called for an Israeli delegation to attend the Arab League summit in March.

In support of a regional peace agreement, he suggested that Israel has to work hard to attend the upcoming Arab League meeting scheduled for March. He wrote that a regional peace agreement will guarantee Israeli security and include major West Bank settlement blocs within Israeli borders.

He noted that the upcoming Arab League meeting will be the first headed by current Egyptian President Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, who is a supporter of Israel. “Israel should be there to make the case for a regional agreement which guarantees our security,” Lapid wrote.

Yesh Atid served in the governing coalition headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was dissolved last month. Lapid did not rule out joining a left or right-wing coalition.

He said he hopes Netanyahu does not win another term. “We will do all we can to make sure Netanyahu is not a prime minister after these elections,” he wrote.

Regarding the upcoming coalition, he said: “The process of building a coalition should take place after the elections and depends on the choices the Israeli voters make. Governing is not about personality, it is about serving the best interests of the Israeli public.”

Lapid stressed the importance of maintaining strong relations with the United States, saying “Israel has no more important strategic ally.” He added that any disagreements between the countries should not be made public.

He said Yesh Atid would continue to try to advance a bill instituting civil unions in Israel, which currently allows only religious Orthodox marriage for Jews.

Lapid wrote that his previous attempts at a civil union bill were blocked by the modern Orthodox Jewish Home party, which also served in the governing coalition.

“We were in the process of putting forward legislation for civil unions for all couples,” he wrote. “We plan to work hard on this issue in the next Knesset because it’s something we as a party care deeply about.”