On a November morning at Israel's national cemetery, a departing prime minister stood beside the grave of a leader murdered by a fellow Jew nearly three decades ago and asked a divided country to remember that it is one people. Days after voters returned Benjamin Netanyahu to power on the strength of a far-right partner, Yair Lapid's plea carried the weight of a nation weighing what kind of future it wants to build. The outcome, a bloc of 64 seats against his 51, reflects a society that has now voted five times since 2019 without settling its deepest quarrel: how power, faith and the rule of l
Outgoing Israeli PM Lapid Urges Unity as Netanyahu Returns With Far-Right Backing
"There is no us and them," Lapid said, "only us."
Mark
Lapid spoke at a Rabin memorial. Why does the setting matter?
Mimi
Rabin was killed in 1995 by a Jewish extremist opposed to his peace efforts. Speaking there, about Judaism being used as a political tool, lets Lapid frame the election as a question of what kind of country Israel will be.
Luke
Worth noting he didn't name Religious Zionism outright. The report says he "appeared to" take aim at it. That's an interpretation.
Mark
The seat count seems lopsided. 64 to 51?
Mimi
Likud, Religious Zionism and two ultra-Orthodox parties took 64 of 120 seats. Lapid's diverse coalition, which included the first Arab party in an Israeli government, won 51.
Luke
Those are the two blocs' totals, and the report doesn't break down seats party by party, so we can't say how much weight Religious Zionism carries beyond being third-largest.
Mark
What about Ben-Gvir?
Mimi
Weeks before Rabin's assassination he held up a hood ornament from Rabin's car and said that if they could reach it, they could reach Rabin. He's now up for a senior Cabinet post.
Luke
Smotrich says his voters are unfairly demonized as supporting the killing, and he called it horrendous. Both statements are on the record, and the piece doesn't adjudicate between them.
Mark
And the judicial reforms?
Mimi
Religious Zionism has promised them. Critics say they'd weaken the courts and might make Netanyahu's charges disappear.
Luke
That's a promise and a critics' reading. Nothing has been passed, and the coalition isn't formed yet.
Der Puls
- Lapid's call for unity at Rabin's memorial lands in a country still bruised by a bitter fifth election since 2019.
- Religious Zionism, the third-largest party, carries a record of anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ remarks into a central role in the new government.
- Netanyahu's bloc of 64 of 120 seats is assembling a majority, while Lapid's 51-seat coalition is left to watch from the outside.
- Promised judicial reforms threaten to weaken the courts and could shield Netanyahu from the corruption charges hanging over him.
- The coming weeks of coalition bargaining will decide which Cabinet posts go to the far-right and whether the judicial changes move forward.
On a November morning at Israel's national cemetery, a departing prime minister stood beside the grave of a leader murdered by a fellow Jew nearly three decades ago and asked a divided country to remember that it is one people. Days after voters returned Benjamin Netanyahu to power on the strength of a far-right partner, Yair Lapid's plea carried the weight of a nation weighing what kind of future it wants to build. The outcome, a bloc of 64 seats against his 51, reflects a society that has now voted five times since 2019 without settling its deepest quarrel: how power, faith and the rule of law should live together.
On Sunday, at Israel's national cemetery, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood at the memorial for Yitzhak Rabin, the leader assassinated in 1995 by a Jewish extremist who opposed peace with the Palestinians. It was his first public words since losing office, and they were a plea for unity. He warned of the wounds left by a campaign that had now produced Israel's fifth election since 2019. "There is no us and them, only us," he said, insisting that most Israelis still believe in the rule of law, democratic values and mutual respect, and that they will not let hatred dictate their lives.
His words seemed aimed at Religious Zionism, a party whose leaders have repeatedly made anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ remarks. It finished third in last Tuesday's vote and is set to play a key role. Together with Likud and two ultra-Orthodox parties, it won 64 of the 120 Knesset seats, enough to assemble a governing majority in the coming weeks. Lapid's coalition, which had included the first Arab party ever to join an Israeli government, took 51.
The campaign, like the four before it, turned on Netanyahu's fitness to rule while he faces corruption charges. Religious Zionism has backed judicial changes that critics say would weaken the courts, grant him immunity and perhaps make his case disappear. The party is also hard-line toward Palestinians, including Israel's own Palestinian citizens.
Netanyahu skipped the ceremony but told Parliament it was "time to get out of the trenches and know how to work together." Bezalel Smotrich, the party's leader, complained that his voters were unfairly portrayed as sympathetic to Rabin's killing. His running mate, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is now in line for a senior Cabinet post, despite having once held up a hood ornament from Rabin's car and saying, "Just as we got to this emblem, we can get to Rabin."
What comes next will be shaped by the coalition talks: which ministries the far-right receives, and whether the promised judicial reforms advance.
On Sunday, at Israel's national cemetery, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid stood at the memorial ceremony for the assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and spoke for the first time since the election that ended his time in office. His message was a plea for unity, delivered days after Benjamin Netanyahu, the former premier, defeated him with the backing of a far-right ultranationalist party.
Rabin was killed on Nov. 4, 1995, by a Jewish extremist who opposed his peace efforts with the Palestinians. Lapid used the occasion to warn of the divisions left by a bitter campaign, Israel's fifth election since 2019. "There is no us and them, only us," he said. He argued that an absolute majority of Israelis believe in the rule of law, democratic values and mutual respect, and want a Judaism that unites them, not one used as a political tool and certainly not one that endorses violence. He also said the majority are unwilling to let hatred dictate their lives, and that the country must decide now where it is going.
He appeared to aim his remarks at Religious Zionism, an extremist party whose leaders have repeatedly made anti-Arab and anti-LGBTQ comments. The party emerged from last Tuesday's vote as the third-largest in Parliament and is expected to play a key role in Netanyahu's next government.
The numbers are clear. Netanyahu's Likud, Religious Zionism and two ultra-Orthodox religious parties together captured 64 seats in the 120-seat Parliament. They are expected to assemble a governing majority in the coming weeks. Lapid's outgoing coalition, a diverse collection of parties that included the first Arab party ever to be part of an Israeli government, won just 51 seats.
As with the previous four elections, the campaign centered on Netanyahu's fitness to rule while he faces corruption charges. Religious Zionism has promised reforms that could weaken the judiciary, grant Netanyahu immunity and possibly make the charges against him disappear. Critics say that agenda would deal a hard blow to Israel's democratic institutions. The party also takes a hard line toward the Palestinians and toward Israel's own Palestinian minority.
Netanyahu did not attend the ceremony. Later, speaking in Parliament, he said that after the election "it is time to get out of the trenches and know how to work together."
Bezalel Smotrich, Religious Zionism's leader, complained that his voters have been unfairly demonized as supporting Rabin's killing, which he called horrendous. His running mate, Itamar Ben-Gvir, is now in line for a senior Cabinet post. Weeks before the assassination, Ben-Gvir famously held up a hood ornament pulled off Rabin's car and said at the time, "Just as we got to this emblem, we can get to Rabin."
What to watch now is the coalition-building over the coming weeks, including which posts go to Religious Zionism, and whether the promised judicial changes move forward.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
There is no us and them, only us.— Yair Lapid, outgoing Israeli prime minister
It is time to get out of the trenches and know how to work together.— Benjamin Netanyahu, in Parliament
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