In what may be referred to in the future as his “mea culpa” moment, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid told Army Radio Thursday that he was at fault for the fall in his party's popularity. With the polls showing Lapid getting only ten seats in the next Knesset – somewhat higher than the numbers from several weeks ago – instead of the 19 Yesh Atid currently, Lapid said that the fall in the party's fortunes was his own fault.
“I think we got a little arrogant when we saw how many seats we got, and thought we could do whatever we wanted,” Lapid said. “Sometimes you don't learn until you get kicked, and we have certainly been kicked – and have learned our lessons, I think well.”
With that, Lapid said, he felt that Yesh Atid had accomplished a great deal in its short Knesset lifetime. “The recent improvement in the polls for us show that people are beginning to understand what we did,” Lapid said, among them passage of the law requiring hareidi yeshiva students to serve in the IDF, and reducing the size of government, limiting the maximum number of ministers to 18. “We also did good work in the Treasury, despite inheriting a horrible financial situation from the previous government,” the former Finance Minister said of his predecessor, Yuval Steinitz.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, until recently Lapid's boss, is a “dangerous man,” Lapid said. While he had recognized that fact even before the government was formed, Lapid said that he decided to partner with Netanyahu anyway. “You can remain in the opposition and be 100% right on all issues, or you can join the government and get your hands 'dirty.'
“Netanyahu is dangerous, and here is a good example,” said Lapid. “Four days ago the IDF removed soldiers from towns along the Gaza border due to budget constraints, while on the same day the government transferred NIS 70 million to an isolated hilltop near Beit El – and they admit they didn't transfer that money before because I prevented it.”
Lapid has made similar comments about his party's "arrogance" before.
In a previous interview also with Army Radio, the former Finance Minister admitted his party was "power drunk" when it first came into government.