As the time to form a government after the Sept. 17 election comes down to the wire, with the Knesset expected to dissolve itself on Wednesday, No. 2 on the Blue and White list Yair Lapid announced Monday afternoon that he would forgo any rotating leadership position.
At a faction meeting broadcast on the Knesset Channel, Lapid informed the press that if in fact, the country holds a third round of elections, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz would serve as the party's only leader, making him the default option for prime minister if Blue and White were to score a clear win at the polls.
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"We still hope to avoid an election. If there is one, we have decided not to have a rotating [party] leadership. We will all stand behind Benny Gantz, our candidate for prime minister," Lapid said.
"It was a difficult decision … on Friday evening I sat down with my children and told them that I had promised to do what was best for the country, and this is best for the country," Lapid continued.
"I'm not here for a seat. I had a much more comfortable seat in my previous career," Lapid told reporters, referring to his tenure as a television host before he entered politics.
Earlier in the meeting, Gantz issued an appeal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling the latter that if he avoided seeking immunity from prosecution in the three cases in which he was indicted last month, "we could talk."
"Today I'm repeating what I told you and your representatives on the first day of [coalition] negotiations – that if you forgo immunity, we will join you in starting talks. You already dragged us into elections twice because of immunity," Gantz said, urging Netanyahu to live up to his promise not to seek immunity.
"We have a historic role. We need to free the nation. This is our war of independence – to free the country from corruption. To free it from extremism. To free it from Netanyahu," Lapid said.
