Coronavirus is an excuse for a "corrupt celebration" at the taxpayers' expense, opposition leader MK Yair Lapid said in an impassioned speech on Sunday as the new government was sworn in.
"After all the empty talk about an 'emergency government,' they set up the biggest, most wasteful government in Israel's history – 36 ministers, 16 deputy ministers. In Israel, there are currently fewer than 50 corona patients on ventilators. There are more ministers and deputy ministers than patients being ventilated. We could put a minister next to the bed of every corona patient," Lapid said.
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The opposition leader lit into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, "You cannot split the Israeli people year after year, cause each half to hate the other half, and then declare yourself head of a unity government. Your entire career is based on one thing: the ability to make Israelis angry at one another, your talent to make use of hatred and fear."
Outgoing Defense Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina), who found himself in the opposition after the coalition wheeling and dealing was over, said, "Netanyahu prefers to have weak, powerless dwarves at his side. But that's not us. So we'll go into the opposition with our heads held high. The goal was to bring us in [to the coalition] without any power or compass. We represent a clear path and hope, and for the past decade, we have been the backbone of the government. Netanyahu, who has no backbone of principles, would have freed 1,000 terrorists but when we were in the government, we prevented the release of Israeli terrorists."
As Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who is succeeding Bennett at the helm of the Defense Ministry, made his swearing-in speech, MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) interrupted him, calling out, "Shame! You're blaming us? Lies!"
Gantz told his heckler: "I would like to thank MK Mickey Levy for his loud shouting."
Levy: "Don't thank me, I don't need anything from you. Thanks very much."
Gantz: "I would like to remind you that when we were alone, you told me, 'I think we need unity.'"
Levy was escorted out of the plenum by the Knesset Guard.
