Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Wednesday for a “revolt” against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if it refused to accept verdicts issued by the country's Supreme Court.
“A government that doesn't obey the court is a criminal government that should not be obeyed,” Lapid told local radio 103FM.
"If the government does not comply with the Supreme Court, we must shut down the country, and that would be the end of everything.”
Mass protests erupted across Israel in recent days against the government's decision to fire the Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and withdraw confidence from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, moves widely seen as attempts to consolidate Netanyahu's control over state institutions.
Israel's Supreme Court is set to review petitions challenging the government's dismissal of the Shin Bet chief on April 8.
“This government literally does not understand what democracy is. Democracy is not a majority rule; it is a system of rules and laws that obligate everyone, whether you are a majority or a minority. They (Netanyahu government) are trying to abolish that," Lapid said.
The opposition leader called on the Israeli government “to come to its senses.”
“The prime minister should announce that there is no such thing as not obeying the court,” Lapid said.
“This country is still a democratic country, and its citizens have a democratic instinct, and if he thinks we will stand aside and do nothing, he is wrong."
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where nearly 50,200 Palestinians have been killed and over 113,800 others injured in a brutal military onslaught since October 2023.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
#Benjamin Netanyahu
#Israeli Government
#Israeli opposition leader
#Yair Lapid