Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party and a former journalist who has been the Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in that role from 2020 to 2021. He had also previously served as the prime minister of Israel from 1 July to 29 December 2022, the second alternate prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Naftali Bennett from 2021 to 2022, and also as the Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 to 2014. He is also the leader of Yesh Atid since the party's founding in 2012.
Standing...
Stories...
Jun 6, 2026
Far Left
Lapid and Yesh Atid are leading opposition coordination efforts but have struggled to articulate a unified alternative on Gaza policy beyond hostage-deal prioritization.
Hadash is critical of Lapid for positioning himself as a liberal alternative while historically supporting military escalation and failing to challenge the fundamental Zionist-nationalist consensus that excludes Arab citizens from full political partnership.
Jun 5, 2026
Center
Lapid spoke at the Jerusalem Pride Parade, pledging equal rights for all couples in Israel, as thousands marched to the Knesset under the banner of demanding change.
Yesh Atid supporters see Lapid's Pride appearance as consistent with his civil-liberties platform and a direct contrast to the Ben Gvir and Smotrich-backed agenda of rolling back LGBTQ rights, making it a politically significant moment for the centrist liberal base.
Jun 5, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid is leading Yesh Atid in opposition and pressing hard on the hostage families issue, positioning himself as the face of the anti-Netanyahu bloc ahead of eventual elections.
Labor and Meretz see Lapid as an ally in the anti-Netanyahu front but remain wary of his centrist positioning on socioeconomic issues, viewing his hostage advocacy as politically effective even if ideologically incomplete.