Israel opposition: Netanyahu lost confidence of the public

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said yesterday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost the confidence of the Israeli public, Anadolu news agency reported.

“We are two months into the war and the State of Israel still has no plans for the day after the war,” the Times of Israel reported Lapid saying during a meeting of his Yesh Atid Party.

“There is no organised diplomatic effort during the war, there is no united public diplomacy system, there is no organised economic plan to cope with the damage to the economy. There is no one who is dealing with reservist soldiers. In short: there is no government,” Lapid said.

“We have a prime minister who has lost the trust of the security establishment, the economic system and the majority of the people, and the world,” he added.

Lapid had earlier called for choosing a new prime minister to lead the government instead of Netanyahu.

Netanyahu is facing growing criticism over his failure to acknowledge responsibility for the events of 7 October.

A recent opinion poll by the Lazar Research Institute for Israeli daily Maariv found that only 27 per cent of Israelis believe that Netanyahu is the right person to run the government.

The survey found that 49 per cent of Israelis, or about half, believe that Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, is the best figure to lead the country’s government.

Since 7 October, Israel has been carrying out a genocidal bombing campaign in Gaza killing more than 18,000 Palestinians and injuring nearly 50,000 others. Thousands more are trapped under the rubble with no means of escape.

READ: Netanyahu accuses Palestinian Authority of seeking to destroy Israel ‘in stages’