Lapid Rules Out Unity Government With Netanyahu, Launches Fake News Unit
Translated & summarized from Israel Hayom by baba
Yair Lapid announced he will not join a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and is establishing a "fake news task force" for election day. He urged other parties to also reject such a government. Lapid criticized Netanyahu's campaign tactics, claiming the problem is not technology but a willingness to spread falsehoods. He stated his task force will rapidly counter disinformation with truth, emphasizing speed and a strong response to expected lies.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Yair Lapid will not join a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Lapid is launching a "fake news task force" to combat disinformation during elections.
- He urged other parties to publicly commit to not joining a Netanyahu-led unity government.
- Lapid criticized Netanyahu's campaign tactics, calling the issue a lack of adherence to rules.
- The task force will rapidly debunk false claims and disseminate truthful information.
- Lapid expressed distrust in the Central Elections Committee's ability to manage disinformation.
Yair Lapid, Number 2 on the Hatnuah list, declared on Monday that he will not cooperate with the formation of a unity government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. He urged other parties in the center-left bloc to publicly commit to this stance as well. Lapid made these remarks at the "Law and Lies" conference hosted by the Brandeis Institute and Fake Reporter.
Lapid also announced he is personally establishing a "fake news task force" to operate on election day. He expressed strong hope that President Isaac Herzog would not attempt to push for another "false unity government" where, according to Lapid, Netanyahu would again deceive his partners and bring further disasters upon Israeli citizens, including those who voted to remove him from power. "We will not cooperate with this, and I call on the other parties in the bloc to announce in advance that they will not be part of such a government," Lapid stated.
During his speech, Lapid criticized Netanyahu and his camp's election campaign tactics, asserting that the fight against disinformation predates advanced technology. He cited Netanyahu's "Arabs are flooding" video and the "Peres will divide Jerusalem" claim as examples of falsehoods spread before AI and social media existed, attributing this to their ability to repeat lies until they are accepted.
Lapid claimed that since 2017, Israeli entities including the Shin Bet, the National Security Council, and the Cyber Directorate have warned about the dangers of fake accounts and fake news, but no action was taken. He argued the problem is not technological but rather that one side in the election plays by the rules while the other "does not shy away from anything."
Expressing distrust in the Central Elections Committee, Lapid stated, "We are not going to sit and watch them poison the elections. I also, with all due respect to Judge Solberg and the Central Elections Committee, do not trust anyone but ourselves." The fake news task force, he explained, will enable the public and tens of thousands of party activists to report suspected disinformation. A team of digital and fact-checking experts will work to debunk these claims and disseminate corrected information, even through personal messages. Lapid emphasized speed, stating, "We know there will be a relentless barrage of lies, and we will respond with an equally strong barrage of truth."
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