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.
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Jul 22, 2026
Lean Left
Yesh Atid leader advocating for a diplomatic end to the Gaza war and judicial independence.
Labor/Meretz ally Lapid is praised for his consistent opposition to the far-right coalition and his calls for democratic norms.
Jul 22, 2026
Far Left
Opposition leader criticizes government handling of hostage crisis and war strategy.
Hadash views Lapid as too centrist on security but welcomes his push for a hostage deal and opposition to far-right agenda.
Jul 21, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid is leading the opposition push for a hostage deal and early elections, criticizing the government's handling of the war.
Praised by Labor/Meretz as the most viable alternative to Netanyahu, though some fault him for not uniting the center-left more effectively.
Jul 21, 2026
Far Left
The opposition leader is leading protests against the judicial overhaul but struggles to unite the center-left against the coalition.
Hadash respects Lapid's opposition to the far right but criticizes his failure to build a genuine left alternative and his past support for military operations in Gaza.
Jul 19, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid is leading opposition efforts to force a no-confidence vote over the government's handling of the hostage crisis.
Labor/Meretz praise Lapid for articulating a clear alternative: prioritize hostage return, revive diplomacy, and isolate the far-right.
Jul 18, 2026
Center
As Yesh Atid leader and head of the opposition, Lapid is expected to use the current crises to push for early elections and a new coalition.
Yesh Atid sees Lapid as the only viable alternative to Netanyahu's corrupt and sector-driven government, offering a centrist, secular vision for Israel.
Jul 18, 2026
Lean Left
The Yesh Atid leader is leading the opposition effort to force early elections, but failed to unite the center-left bloc behind a single candidate.
While appreciated for his anti-Netanyahu stance, Labor/Meretz critics fault Lapid for not doing enough to build a viable left alternative and for lacking a clear social-democratic agenda.
Jul 18, 2026
Far Left
Leading opposition calls for a hostage deal and early elections, criticizing government ineptitude.
Viewed as a moderate but insufficiently forceful critic of the occupation, often disappointing the left.
Jul 17, 2026
Lean Left
Lapid leads Knesset debates criticizing the government’s war management and judicial overhaul.
Seen as a key opposition voice, though Labor/Meretz wish he would adopt a more aggressively leftist stance on settlements.
Jul 16, 2026
Far Left
Opposition leader calling for a ceasefire and democratic reforms.
While preferable to the coalition, Hadash finds him insufficiently critical of the occupation.