The Agreement With Lebanon Is Lapid’s Worst Strategic Error of All

Ma’ariv, Israel, October 13

Three strategic decisions have been made by Yair Lapid since he became prime minister, and all three point to a lack of political judgment that complicates the State of Israel and may bring about a difficult war that Lapid is unable to lead. Lapid has no military experience. He also is not an intellectual with original thinking, nor is he a man of books. Consider how Lapid dismissed his close confidant and party member Ofer Shelah with a wave of his hand, despite their long-standing friendship, when the latter decided to compete against him for the Yesh Atid party’s leadership. Leading the Jewish state requires great statesmanship, experience and courage. After all, we’re a country that is regularly attacked not only by our neighbors, but also by our so-called friends: entities like the European Union and the United Nations, which single Israel out and try to weaken it from within. At a period of time like this, Lapid’s decisions are truly scandalous. The first was to worsen our relations with Russia, which was our close ally for many years and helped us weaken Iran. On this issue, Lapid behaved like an elephant in a china shop by siding with Ukraine against Russia. A smart, rational and professional politician would have avoided supporting the Ukrainians. On this matter, it was appropriate to follow the popular proverb that says that a man should not spit into the well whose waters he drinks out of. But Lapid didn’t pass the test and wanted to win more votes and endear himself to the Biden administration. All of this came at the expense of Israel’s clear national interest in maintaining Russia’s lukewarm friendship, which was sometimes more beneficial than the hypocritical friendship of President Barack Obama’s successors in the White House. A second strategic mistake was Lapid’s announcement that he supports a two-state solution for two peoples. This is a catastrophic error because he announced this at the UN, in front of the leaders and ambassadors of the entire world, which will serve as an excellent claim by Europe and the United States toward the State of Israel down the line. His announcement may even become binding, even if a new government tries to walk it back. In any case, in order to support the Arab side in the conflict, this statement by Lapid will always be slandered against the State of Israel. He also gave it without receiving any mandate from the Israeli public, and without a long and in-depth public discussion. Lapid, if he succeeds in winning in the upcoming elections, will surely try to push forward the two-state solution, which is nothing less than national suicide. Lapid’s third strategic error, and the worst of all, is happening right in front of our eyes. The State of Israel, with its lack of leadership, formulated an agreement in which it gives up a huge maritime territory to Lebanon in order to satisfy the territorial appetite of Nasrallah and the Arab terrorist organizations. Lapid’s government is weak in protecting the strength of our country and our borders. – Aharon Papo (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)