Calls for vote of no confidence in Netanyahu's gov’t

The leader of the opposition in Israel, Yair Lapid, yesterday called on the Knesset to vote in favour of withdrawing confidence from the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lapid described Netanyahu’s government as “most insane government in the country’s history.”

Lapid’s speech comes as the voices of extremists in Netanyahu’s government, such as the Ministers of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, grow.

Last week, Lapid said that he would not sit in a government that includes Smotrich and Ben-Gvir because they represent a “danger” to the occupation state, stressing his willingness to make any concessions to reach a deal that returns Israeli prisoners of war held in Gaza.

Watch: Nancy Pelosi claims Netanyahu trying to interfere in US elections

Netanyahu is facing criticism from the Israeli public and a number of politicians, including members of the occupation’s war council, due to the situation of the prisoners of war and the government’s failure to find a path to guarantee their safe return. Some accuse him of hindering the deal to release them for “political calculations” to ensure his political survival, according to Anadolu news agency.

Is the war on Gaza Netanyahu’s final lifeline? – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]