Prime Minister Yair Lapid joined a group of his party's supporters at a protest against the incoming government at the KKL Bridge in Jerusalem on Friday morning.
Lapid spoke to the press, according to ynet, saying: "We are here to tell the new government that we are not suckers. Avi Maoz hates LGBT people and women, Itamar Ben-Gvir - a violent criminal convicted of terrorism - will not send our children to battle."
The protestors wore Yesh Atid t-shirts and carried Israeli flags and signs reading "stop the carnage. We're fighting for the country."
Lapid's remarks on Facebook
"Ben-Gvir, a violent criminal convicted of supporting terrorism and who did not serve one day in the army will be responsible for the police and the border," Lapid wrote on Facebook on Friday morning. "Aryeh Deri, who took a bribe...will be the Minister of Finance [in two years]. A serial offender who has just been convicted of serious tax offenses will be responsible for the Tax Authority.
"This government is not a normal event," Lapid's Facebook post continued. "Netanyahu [is] at the peak of his weakness [and] the extremists are pushing the system into delusional places."
This protest comes hours after Netanyahu requested an extension of his mandate to form a coalition. Politicians from the anti-Netanyahu bloc, including Lapid, have urged President Isaac Herzog not to grant the request, but he is likely to grant it anyway.
Critical reception
Otzma Yehudit MK Amichai Eliyahu issued a response to Lapid's remarks midday on Friday, saying: "To see Lapid, the man who sat with the Muslim Brotherhood supporters of terrorism...now shouting at the right-wing government that will soon be established is ridiculous and pathetic. You may continue to shout on bridges, we will heal, unite and repair what you destroyed."