Jerusalem, May 25: The deal being discussed between the US and Iran fails to achieve any of Israel’s goals for the war, Israel’s opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday, as he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of failing to influence a better agreement.
Lapid, who is part of an alliance attempting to unseat Netanyahu in elections this year, said details of the emerging deal are “disturbing.”
“The deal is bad for Israel, bad for the region, bad for the citizens of Iran,” Lapid told reporters in Jerusalem.
Israel and the US launched the war on February 28, vowing to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile program, end its support for proxy militant groups across the region and end Iran’s ability to pursue a nuclear bomb.
Both Netanyahu and President Donald Trump also said they hoped to create conditions to topple Iran’s government.
According to regional officials, under the current deal being discussed, Iran would give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz in exchange for ending a US blockade of Iranian ports and the lifting of sanctions against Iran.
Key details on Iran’s nuclear program would then be negotiated during 60 days. It is unclear if the deal will address Iran’s missiles or support for regional militant groups.
Lapid expressed gratitude to Trump for launching the war with Israel, but criticised Netanyahu for allowing Washington to negotiate a potential deal with little coordination with Israel.
“The Israeli government is at an all-time low in its ability to influence decisions in Washington,” he said, noting that Trump said last week: “Netanyahu will do whatever I want him to do.”
Lapid, head of the centrist “Yesh Atid” party, briefly served as prime minister in 2022 under a rotation agreement with Naftali Bennett, leader of a small conservative party. Their coalition government ended 12 years of Netanyahu’s rule.
They have once again merged their parties into a single faction headed by Bennett as they attempt to unseat Netanyahu in elections, which will be held by the end of October.
Lapid has served as Israel’s opposition leader since Netanyahu returned to power in late 2022, while Bennett took a break from politics. Their alliance is aimed at uniting a fragmented opposition united in large part by their shared hostility toward Netanyahu.
Lapid, one of a shrinking number of Israeli politicians who support the idea of Palestinian independence, said the issue would not be on the next government’s agenda.
He said the conditions are not right following the trauma of the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, and the wars that have followed. (AP)
