Israeli opposition leader accuses government of prolonging war over Netanyahu's political troubles

By Abderaouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Friday accused the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of unnecessarily prolonging the war in Gaza due to Netanyahu's political troubles.

In a post on X, Lapid said: “The current government is extending the war without reason due to the political issues facing the Prime Minister and the delusions of the far-right wing about annexation and returning to Gaza.”

Lapid referred to Netanyahu's avoidance of appearing before court due to his involvement in a corruption trial, citing the ongoing war as a reason for his absence.

He emphasized that “it is time for a political move, it is time for a new regional system.”

Lapid also alluded to the growing influence of Israel’s far-right political factions, which are pushing for the annexation of the West Bank and the occupation of Gaza, suggesting that these political goals have contributed to the ongoing military aggression.

On Nov. 11, Bezalel Smotrich, the head of the far-right Zionist Religious Party, stated that he had instructed the Israeli Ministry of Defense's Civil Administration and Settlement Division to prepare infrastructure plans to implement Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.

He declared that 2025 would be the year of Israeli sovereignty over the region, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

Netanyahu has also hinted that the issue of Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank should be raised again with the upcoming change in US leadership.

In a statement quoted by Israeli media, Netanyahu said: “When President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House, we must return the issue of sovereignty in the West Bank to the agenda.”

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in October last year, killing more than 44,000 people, most of them women and children, and injuring over 104,000.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

The ICC announced in a landmark move Thursday that it issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi