The head of Israel's opposition was counting on the support of the hawkish party Yamina to form a government. He was also hoping to build a bridge between them and Raam, an Islamic faction that has previously been accused of supporting terror. But the outbreak of the military campaign in Gaza has since turned these aspirations into fiction.
Only a week ago, the head of Israel's opposition Yair Lapid was certain he was inches away from forming a government.
Soon after receiving the mandate from the country's President Reuven Rivlin, he initiated a number of intense meetings with members of his potential coalition, six parties from the centre, left, and right.
The biggest challenge for Lapid was securing the support of Naftali Bennett and his hawkish party Yamina and making sure the former defence minister was willing to sit in a coalition with Raam, an Islamic party that has previously been accused of supporting terror.
Life Had Other Plans
Lapid almost made it happen, but life had other plans. Last Monday, tensions that have been brewing between israel and the Palestinians in Jerusalem reached a boiling point. After Hamas, who controls the Gaza Strip, fired missiles into Israeli towns and cities, including the capital, the Jewish state's responded with force, launching “Operation Guardian of the Walls”.
According to Palestinian sources, more than 200 have been killed in Gaza over the past ten days. Hundreds have been wounded. Many buildings have been reduced to rubble…
