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...
Sep 28, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid is trying to position Yesh Atid as the main opposition leader while courting center-left voters frustrated with Netanyahu.
Labor and Meretz are wary of his past willingness to join right-wing governments and demand a clear anti-Netanyahu bloc.
Sep 28, 2026
Far Left
Lapid is positioning Yesh Atid as the main opposition alternative and attacking Netanyahu over the hostage deal.
Hadash is deeply skeptical, viewing Lapid as offering a softer version of the same occupation and not a genuine alternative for Arab citizens or a just peace.
Sep 27, 2026
Center
Ynet columnist calls on Gadi, Naftali, Yair, and Avigdor to not leave Saturday night's meeting unchanged, urging them to put ego aside and unite.
Lapid is pushing for a broad anti-Netanyahu bloc, but Yesh Atid voters worry that Bennett and Eisenkot may still refuse to commit, fracturing the camp.
Sep 27, 2026
Lean Left
The Yesh Atid leader is positioning himself as the chief opposition voice, calling for elections and criticizing the government's handling of the hostage crisis.
The left views him as a necessary but insufficient partner, appreciated for his energy but criticized for refusing to rule out sitting with Netanyahu-aligned parties.
Sep 27, 2026
Far Left
Lapid is positioning Yesh Atid as the main opposition but avoiding firm commitments on Arab-Jewish partnership.
Hadash criticizes Lapid for a centrist strategy that courts right-wing voters and treats Arab parties as untouchable.
Sep 26, 2026
Center
As Yesh Atid leader he is the central figure in the opposition's response to Netanyahu's UN speech and the collapse of coalition support in the polls.
Lapid's task is to convert coalition weakness into a clear alternative, and the 8% coalition figure is both an opening and a warning that the liberal camp is not consolidating behind him.
Sep 26, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid, the opposition leader, has been coordinating with Yisrael Beiteinu and the protest movement against the judicial overhaul and the Bar firing.
Yesh Atid's leader is the left's chief parliamentary voice against Netanyahu, though Labor and Meretz criticize him for not going far enough on early elections and for centrist hedging.
Sep 26, 2026
Far Left
Lapid has called for dialogue with Netanyahu on the judicial overhaul but faces criticism from within his own party for not taking a harder line.
Hadash criticizes Lapid for legitimizing a government that is openly racist and anti-democratic, and for refusing to join forces with Arab parties.
Sep 24, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid continues to lead the opposition in the Knesset but faces criticism for failing to offer a clear alternative vision.
Labor and Meretz respect his anti-Netanyahu stance but criticize his centrist caution and refusal to embrace a genuine left-wing social and diplomatic agenda.
Sep 24, 2026
Far Left
Lapid has criticized Netanyahu's handling of the war but has not committed to a formal opposition alliance with Hadash or Arab parties.
Hadash views Lapid as a centrist enabler of the right, unwilling to break with consensus on Gaza or truly challenge the occupation.