Should everything go as planned, another two years and three weeks from now, Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid will be appointed Israel's prime minister and Yamina head Naftali Bennett will become prime minister-designate and interior minister. Imagine for a moment that six months later, war breaks out. Can you imagine a scenario in which Bennett does not take part in a meeting of the so-called "Coronavirus cabinet" because "the talks don't concern his area of responsibility"?
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I have my problems with Bennett, but the man takes his job seriously. He puts in the time, studies the issues in depth, consults with advisers, and works long hours to advance his policies. The same cannot be said of his most senior partner in the so-called "change" government.
The fact that Foreign Minister and Prime Minister-designate believes it is entirely appropriate for him to abstain from coronavirus cabinet meetings points to two serious issues: The first is that Lapid does not understand his role, nor does he realize the country is at war. Lapid is now the second most senior official in Israel's government. In the current parity government, one might say he is both the first and second most senior official. According to Israel's coronavirus law, the prime minister-designate is a member of the Coronavirus cabinet. If there is no need for Lapid to attend, the Yesh Atid leader should do the honorable thing and change the law. Until that happens, Lapid, whether he likes it or not, is a member of this important body.
"In a functioning government, the Coronavirus cabinet would convene every morning until the education system reverts to full operations, until all businesses receive compensation, until all the unemployed go back to work," then-opposition member Lapid tweeted just 10 months ago. Now that he's a senior official, Lapid seems to think showing up for government meetings is less of a priority.
Lapid has further insisted that only experts in the field and the heads of relevant ministries take part in these discussions, so that there is no need for a foreign minister or prime-minister designate to attend.
Just a few months ago, the question arose as to whether to include the United Arab Emirates on the blacklist of countries Israelis were barred from visiting immediately after the signing of the historic Abraham Accords. This is clearly the kind of highly important policy move that demands the foreign minister's attention. Any decision pertaining to Israel's ties with other countries, whether regarding the inclusion of certain countries on a blacklist of destinations or the signing of vaccine exchange deals, comprises the essence of the Foreign Ministry's work.
True, the duties of the prime minister-designate are less clearly defined. Still, as a matter of status, the position is equivalent to that of the prime minister. The argument that the Coronavirus cabinet is not their responsibility is pretty spot-on, as they don't have any specific responsibilities to speak of. Yet this is comparable to arguing the prime minister should be kept out of coronavirus discussions as the pandemic is not their responsibility.
The State of Israel, along with the rest of the world, is at war with the coronavirus. Just as Lapid demanded the Coronavirus cabinet convene every day to discuss the state of the pandemic, so too does the public expect him to attend meetings on the virus on a daily basis, listen to the experts, ask questions, and offer solutions.
Ever since the new government was established, Lapid has made a point of repeating his slogan: "We came here to work." Yet the general sense is that while Lapid has a knack for slogans, he has less of a penchant for action. Before serving in the coalition, Lapid promised his supporters an aggressive opposition. In the end, the Yesh Atid leader ended up paying a 6,000 shekel (around $1,865) fine for unjustified absences from the Knesset.
As foreign minister and prime minister-designate, Lapid can no longer receive updates on government meetings from the comfort of his home. As the public's representative, he should be working to influence every single Coronavirus cabinet meeting. Lapid spent years trying to bring down the previous government and take power. Now that he is in the coalition, he needs to understand that governance is not a vacation; governance is a burden. If Lapid genuinely wants to govern, he needs to take himself seriously and start governing.
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