Yair Lapid praises Trump on hostage deal but worries Bibi will go back to war before every Israeli is out of Gaza

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — It’s not every day that you hear Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid saying anything nice about Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, much less agreeing with him on a major policy issue.

But today is that day.

In an exclusive conversation with me today, Lapid praised Netanyahu for the political courage he is showing to agree to this historic and controversial hostage deal.

Lapid is worried that Netanyahu won’t see the deal through.

He’s worried that Bibi will go back to war in Gaza against Hamas prematurely, before every Israeli hostage is out of Gaza and back home in Israel.

And he’s not shy about saying Netanyahu is the wrong man to make peace with Saudi Arabia and push such a transformational deal through the U.S. Senate.

After all, he told me, 67 votes will be needed to approve a major U.S.-Israeli-Saudi normalization package through the Senate, meaning at least 15 to 20  Democrats will need to vote for it.

Netanyahu, Lapid argues, will gave little sway with those Democrats.

By contrast, Lapid believes he could shepherd such a game-changing deal through, especially with President Donald Trump whom he praised as the right American leader at the right time.

“We have to say we are thankful to the Biden administration for the help. But I don't think it [the hostage deal] would have happened without President Trump. And, you know, the proof of the cooking is in the pudding. I mean, Trump is coming to office even as the hostages are coming back. And this was because of the way he was pushing for this to happen.”

President Trump is “showing once again what a great friend he is for the people of Israel.”

All that said, when it came to Netanyahu, the Opposition Leader today was in a very relaxed, even magnanimous, mood.

“I was very emotional,” Lapid told me, when he saw the first three women hostages get released last night and fall into the arms of their parents and siblings.

“I had tears in my eyes. Over the last year and four months, there were very few days in which I didn't meet with families of hostages. Last week [I was in] Paris meeting with the Qataris and with hostage families. And this was the first time I realized it [a deal] was going to happen this time around.”

Lapid said like all Israelis he was “glued to the television” last night.

“The entire nation was of the same spirit,” he noted.

“I mean, the people who supported the deal – like I do – also understand the risks. And the people who said the deal is too dangerous, also I hope are happy and joyful and in tears seeing the hostages coming back home.”

Lapid said this deal and this moment “has united us” in ways we haven’t seen “for too long.”

I told Lapid that I hate the terms of this deal – the huge concessions to Hamas – but I do support it, and I believe you can do both at the same time.

Lapid told me he was both impressed and surprised that Netanyahu made the deal even though it has already cost him six members of his coalition after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and his Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party quit the Government in protest over the deal.

What’s more, only 52% of Israelis who voted for Netanyahu or parties in his coalition support this deal.

Many are actually against it.

“Well, this is why you need leadership to make decisions,” Lapid told me.

“You know, it's interesting – leadership is almost never going opposite your enemies. It's always going opposite of your own people, telling them the things they don't want to hear.”

Lapid says the current deal is “the exact same deal” that Biden offered last May and that Netanyahu should have said yes then.

“I think it was a mistake to postpone it,” he said.

“We have 122 soldiers who were killed in Gaza since May. We have at least six hostages that we know of that died during this time. And I don't think we have a lot to show for it.”

I disagreed.

“Hold on,” I said. “If you and Bibi were here on the set, Netanyahu would say, ‘Since May we killed [the top Hamas leadership, such as] Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniya, and Mohammed Deif.’”

What’s more, Netanyahu would argue that since last May, the IDF has invaded Rafah, taken out 80% to 85% of Hamas forces, and inflicted tremendous damage on Hamas in Gaza.

“Netanyahu's case,” I noted, is that Biden was effectively asking israel to surrender in May of last year,” whereas we've accomplished so much since then and we’re in a much better position to cut a deal this week.

“Well, I'm not sure this is what he [Netanyahu] was saying in May,” Lapid replied. “I think the IDF has done wonderful and amazing things in the last few months.”

But he argued that “Sinwar was killed by a successful chance. It didn't happen because somebody planned it. He was just in a building and somebody bombed the building, and he died.”

“Every Israeli in his right mind, every person who believes in freedom and is in his right mind, was happy about this What’s more, Netanyahu would argue that since last May, the IDF has invaded Rafah, taken out 80% to 85% of Hamas forces, and find tremendous damage to Hamas in Gaza.

“Every Israeli in his right mind, every person who believes in freedom and is in his right mind, was happy about this – the guy was an arch-terrorist and we should not shed tears on his death.”

But Lapid does not give Netanyahu credit for Sinwar’s death and says it was not a reason to postpone the hostage deal.

Look, he said, “I'm being polite about this.”

Despite being the opposition leader, he does want to give Netanyahu credit for making this deal now.

“It was the right decision, I think it is the right deal,” he said, despite the many “complexities” and “risks.”

“Here’s one thing I differ from this government,” Lapid noted.

“Okay, so we have the first stage. We have to go to the second stage until the last of the hostages are home.”

Lapid isn’t convinced Netanyahu will stick with the second stage and get everyone home.

“And what worries me is the fact that there is no real strategic plan for the day after” the war is over.

“Our common goal is the total destruction of Hamas. Hamas shouldn’t rule Gaza – in no way, militarily or domestically. This will not happen unless you will have an alternative governing body in Gaza.”

But, he notes, Netanyahu is 100% opposed to having the Palestinian Authority – even a reformed PA, or elements of the PA – involved in any way, shape or form.

Lapid believes it’s critical to have the Saudis, Emiratis, Bahrainis, and Egyptians involved in Gaza after the war and that he would be far better in facilitating that because the political base isn’t fundamentally opposed to seeing Gaza rebuilt and flourishing with Arab regional assistance.