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Lapid to take lead over Bennett on foreign ties, peace with Arab states
[jpost] Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid is expected to take a strong leading role in Israel’s international relations, as opposed to in the past 12 years in which the prime minister did so.Prime Minister Naftali Bennett plans to focus on his domestic agenda — at least at first — a source close to the new premier said. Any diplomatic decision or statement Bennett makes will have to be coordinated in advance with Lapid, because of the delicate rotation government they formed on Sunday. Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu led Israel’s foreign policy throughout his time in office, often keeping key information from the foreign ministry. He also served as foreign minister at the same time as prime minister in 2012 and 2015-2019. Lapid said in his transition ceremony with departing minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Monday the Foreign Ministry will be in charge of normalizing relations between Israel and Arab states, following last year’s Abraham Accords. "Great things have happened this past year," Lapid said. "We need to continue the development that started with the Abraham Accords, to work to strengthen the peace with the Gulf States, with Egypt and with Jordan. We will work to sign agreements with more countries in the region and beyond. "It’s a process, it won’t happen in a day, but the Foreign Ministry will coordinate those efforts," he stated. Netanyahu did not inform Ashkenazi until moments before the announcement that Israel made peace with the United Arab Emirates last August, but after that, Ashkenazi met with his Emirati and Bahraini counterparts and the Foreign Ministry worked on cultivating the relations. Lapid also emphasized that "Jordan is an important strategic ally. King Abdullah [II bin Al-Hussein] is an important regional leader and a strategic ally; we will work with him and strengthen the relationship between our countries." The new foreign minister referred to "recent reports" about Jordan, which was likely a Washington Post article that claimed Netanyahu was involved in attempts to weaken King Abdullah, since he and former US president Donald Trump preferred to get closer with Saudi Arabia. Lapid said that he and Bennett will work together to "do whatever it takes to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb." With the US and Iran indirectly negotiating a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement, Lapid said Israel must "prepare quickly." "It was a bad deal," he said. "I opposed it. I still oppose it. Israel could have, with a different approach, influenced it far more." Referring to the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Lapid said that "the world doesn’t always understand the conditions in which Israel operates. We’ll try to change that... Faced with the disgraceful propaganda against us we will need to make clear to the world that we are fighting a sick terror organization which has no problem firing rockets from kindergartens and schools. Israel will respond forcefully to any rocket attack, Lapid warned. "Hamas is the only one responsible for the death of innocent civilians. And still, it is not weakness to admit that our hearts break for every child who dies in conflict. Children don’t need to die in the wars of adults," he added. The first foreign policy issue Lapid addressed in his remarks was restoring relations between Israel and the Democratic Party in the US, pointing out that Democrats are in the White House and control the Senate and House of Representatives. "I’ve warned against it more than once, but the outgoing government took a terrible gamble, reckless and dangerous, to focus exclusively on the Republican Party and abandon Israel’s bipartisan standing. The Republicans are important to us, their friendship is important to us, but not only the friendship of the Republican party," he said. Lapid noted that he spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and they both think it is imperative to have US-Israel ties be based on mutual respect and improved dialogue. The foreign minister also called to strengthen ties with Diaspora Jewry. "The support of Christian evangelicals and other groups is important and heart-warming but the Jewish people are more than allies, they are family," he said. "Jews from all streams, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox, are our family. And family is always the most important relationship, and the one that needs to be worked on more than any other." When it comes to relations with Europe, Lapid — who once called Sweden’s foreign minister an antisemite at a rally in Stockholm — quipped: "Shouting that everyone is antisemitic isn’t a policy or a work plan, even if it sometimes feels right." Lapid said he and French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he has had a years-long friendship, exchanged text messages and that he spoke with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and they agreed to deepen Israel-Europe ties. The minister said Deputy Foreign Minister Idan Roll will lead the process of integrating the Ministry for Strategic Affairs back into the Foreign Ministry, which will manage the fight against BDS and the delegitimization of Israel. Smiling warmly, Lapid told Foreign Ministry officials that he really wanted his new job and he made every effort to get it. "I believe we will do great things together... I’m happy to be here with you. I’ve waited for this a long time," he said. 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