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{{Short description|Prime Minister of Israel in 2022}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}}{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}

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| native_name_lang = he| image = Yair Lapid (D1237-011).jpg| caption = Official portrait, 202219635|df=y}}| birth_place = Tel Aviv, Israel| parents = Tommy LapidShulamit Lapid| spouse = Lihi Lapid| children = 3Politician|journalist}}| party = Yesh AtidLeader of the Opposition (Israel)>Leader of the Opposition| primeminister = Benjamin NetanyahuWORK=KNESSET, 13 January 2023, | term_end = | predecessor = Benjamin Netanyahu| successor = | primeminister1 = Benjamin Netanyahu| term_start1 = 17 May 2020| term_end1 = 6 April 2021Shelly Yachimovich {{small>(2019)}}| successor1 = Benjamin Netanyahu| office2 = 14th Prime Minister of IsraelIsaac HerzogAlternate}}| 1namedata2 = Naftali Bennett| predecessor2 = Naftali Bennett| successor2 = Benjamin Netanyahu| office3 = 2nd Alternate Prime Minister of IsraelBenny Gantz| successor3 = Naftali Bennett| office4 = Leader of Yesh AtidPosition established| office5 = Member of the KnessetMinistry of Finance (Israel)>Minister of Finance| subterm6 = 2013–2014Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Israel)>Minister of Foreign Affairs| subterm7 = 2021–2022| office8 = Faction represented in the Knesset| suboffice8 = Yesh Atid| subterm8 = 2013–2019Blue and White (political alliance)>Blue and White| subterm9 = 2019–2020| suboffice10 = Yesh Atid| subterm10 = 2020–}}Yair Lapid (, {{IPA-he|jaˈʔiʁ laˈpid|IPA}}; born 5 November 1963) is an Israeli politician of the centrist Yesh Atid party, and a former journalist. He has been the Leader of the Opposition since January 2023, having previously served in that role from 2020 to 2021. He served as the 14th Prime Minister of Israel from 1 July to 29 December 2022. He previously served as the Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022. He served as Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014. Lapid is the chairman of Yesh Atid.WEB, Dreams of the father guide Yair Lapid as he eyes Israel's premiership,weblink France 24, 1 June 2021, 3 June 2021, 3 June 2021,weblink live, Before entering politics in 2012, Lapid was an author, TV presenter and news anchor. The centrist Yesh Atid party, which he founded, became the second-largest party in the Knesset by winning 19 seats in its first legislative election in 2013. The greater-than-anticipated results contributed to Lapid's reputation as a leading centrist.From 2013 to 2014, following his coalition agreement with Likud, Lapid served as Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2013, Lapid ranked first on the list of the "Most Influential Jews in the World" by The Jerusalem Post.WEB, Jerusalem Post staff, Top 50 most influential Jews 2013: Places 1–10,weblink The Jerusalem Post, 4 May 2013, 5 August 2013, 24 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171224204320weblink">weblink live, He was also recognized in 2013 as one of the leading Foreign Policy Global Thinkers,WEB, Yair Lapid – For appealing to Israel's political center.,weblink Foreign Policy, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180624150520weblink">weblink live, and ranked as one of Time magazine's 100 "Most Influential People in the World".MAGAZINE,weblink The 2013 TIME 100, Vick, Karl, Time, 24 June 2018, en-US, 0040-781X, 3 July 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180703095327weblink">weblink live, He serves on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and the Sub-Committee on Intelligence and the Security Services.NEWS,weblink Yair Lapid, roni, 24 June 2018, en-GB, 24 June 2018,weblink live, On 17 May 2020, Lapid became the Leader of the Opposition, after the thirty-fifth government of Israel was sworn in.NEWS, Magid, Jacob, Lapid predicts 'crooked' new government will fall quickly,weblink 17 May 2020, 17 May 2020, en-GB, 23 May 2020,weblink live, On 5 May 2021, he began talks with other parties to try to form a coalition government.NEWS, Hoffman, Gil, Lapid, Bennett hope to form government within a week,weblink The Jerusalem Post, 5 May 2021, 5 May 2021, 16 June 2021,weblink live, On 2 June 2021, Lapid informed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin that he had agreed to a rotation government with Naftali Bennett and was prepared to replace the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.WEB, Lapid tells Rivlin: I have succeeded in forming coalition with Bennett,weblink The Jerusalem Post, Gil, Hoffman, 3 June 2021, 22 June 2022, en-US, 27 April 2022,weblink live, The new government was sworn in on 13 June 2021.WEB, Lieber, Dov, Israel Gets New Government to End Netanyahu's 12-Year Rule,weblink The Wall Street Journal, 15 June 2021, 13 June 2021, 15 June 2021,weblink live, Lapid became the prime minister of Israel on 1 July 2022 after Bennett stepped down as prime minister following the dissolution of the Knesset. Lapid remained prime minister until a new government was formed after the November 2022 election.WEB, Spiro, Amy, Yair Lapid takes over as Israel's 14th prime minister, The Times of Israel, 1 July 2022,weblink 22 July 2022,

Biography

(File:Yair Lapid, Bamahane issue 12.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Lapid in the early 1980s while serving as a military correspondent for the IDF's weekly newspaper)Yair Lapid was born in Tel Aviv, the son of journalist and politician Yosef "Tommy" Lapid, who served as Justice Minister, and novelist and playwright Shulamit (Giladi) Lapid. His father was born in Novi Sad, Yugoslavia (now Serbia) to Hungarian Jewish parents,WEB, Beck, Mordechai, Yosef Lapid,weblink The Guardian, 20 June 2008, 22 June 2022, 22 June 2022,weblink live, and his mother was born in Tel Aviv. His maternal grandfather David Giladi, originally from Transylvania (now Romania), was a writer and journalist who was among the founders of the newspaper Maariv.Shulamit Lapid {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617041919weblink |date=17 June 2022 }} – Jewish Women's ArchiveWEB, Gradstein, Linda,weblink In entering Israeli politics, Yair Lapid eyes force of socioeconomic protests | Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Jta.org, 17 January 2012, 31 March 2016, 3 April 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130403035142weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Shulamit Lapid | Jewish Women's Archive, Jwa.org, 1 March 2009, 31 March 2016, 25 November 2021,weblink live, He has a sister, Merav, who is a clinical psychologist. Another sister, Michal, died in a car accident in 1984.WEB,weblink Who Is Yair Lapid?, Asher, Schechter, Haaretz, 23 January 2012, 31 March 2016, 3 April 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150403130436weblink">weblink live, His paternal grandfather Bela (Meir) Lampel, a lawyer and Zionist activist, was murdered in Mauthausen concentration camp, while his great-grandmother Hermione Lampel was sent to Auschwitz, where she was murdered in a gas chamber.WEB, The truth about Poland and the Holocaust,weblink The Times of Israel, 29 January 2018, 4 February 2019, 4 September 2021,weblink live, WEB,weblink Yair Lapid on Twitter, 2018, 4 February 2019, 5 April 2022,weblink live, Lapid grew up in Tel Aviv and London. His childhood home in Tel Aviv was in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, in a residential building known as the Journalists' Residence, as several prominent journalists lived there. He attended high school at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, but struggled with learning disabilities and dropped out without earning a bagrut certificate.NEWS,weblink יאיר לפיד: 'לא מצאו עליי כלום, אז המציאו סיפור', 5 January 2018, Ynet, he, Yair Lapid: 'They did not find anything about me, so they invented a story', אטילה שומפלבי, 29 November 2017, 1 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171201122048weblink">weblink live, Lapid spent most of his mandatory military service in the Israel Defense Forces as a military correspondent for the IDF's weekly newspaper, Bamahane ("In the base camp").WEB,weblink Popular Israeli TV newsman enters politics, The Seattle Times, Aron, Heller, Associated Press, 8 January 2012, He has given different versions of how he began his service in the IDF before being transferred to Bamahane, alternatively claiming to have begun his service in the Armored Corps until he was transferred after suffering an asthma attack due to a smoke grenade and to have started his service in the Israeli Air Defense Command before being pulled out due to suffering an asthma attack from dust and haze during basic training.NEWS,weblink הפרוטקציה בצבא, הסטירה שחטף והשעבוד לסקרים. מה יאיר לפיד בעיניך?, הארץ, Haaretz, 29 June 2022, 29 June 2022,weblink live, WEB,weblink כתבות ספונטני, רגיש ובעל חוש הומור פרספקטיבי אונליין, presspectivi.goop.co.il, 29 June 2022, 12 June 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20220612013547weblink">weblink live, After completing his military service, he began working as a reporter for Maariv and published poetry in literary journals. He also had a career as an amateur boxer.WEB,weblink לא קצין, אבל ג'נטלמן, 9 January 2012, mako.co.il, he, Not an officer, but a gentleman, 29 November 2017, 1 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171201033531weblink">weblink live, In the mid-1980s, Lapid married Tamar Friedman. The marriage produced one son, Yoav (born 1987). The couple divorced after the birth of their son.WEB, The underdog who believes he's Israel's next prime minister, Hecht, Ravit, Haaretz.com, 2 February 2019, 1 July 2022,weblink 1 July 2022,weblink live, He later married Lihi Lapid, with whom he has two children.WEB, Harkov, Lahav,weblink Labor targets undecided female voters via kids, The Jerusalem Post, 21 January 2013, 31 March 2016, 26 February 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130226114250weblink">weblink live, The couple lives in the Ramat Aviv Gimel neighborhood of Tel Aviv.WEB, Danan, Deborah,weblink Who is Yair Lapid?, The Jerusalem Post, 15 January 2013, 31 March 2016, 26 May 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130526025421weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink Charismatic Leader Helps Israel Turn Toward the Center, The New York Times, Isabel, Kershner, 23 January 2013, 28 February 2017, 8 November 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171108211826weblink">weblink live, He attends the Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism, a Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv.WEB,weblink Yair Lapid's 'Jewish Home' Is a Reform Synagogue in Tel Aviv, Haaretz, Natasha, Dornberg, 24 January 2013, 16 March 2021, 21 January 2021,weblink live,

Journalism and media career

File:Over The Ocean third.jpg|thumb|right|Yair Lapid in Jacob Goldwasser's 1991 film Beyond the Sea]]In 1988, at age 25, Lapid was appointed editor of Yedioth Tel Aviv, a local newspaper published by the Yedioth Ahronoth group. In 1991, he began writing a weekly column in a nationwide newspaper's weekend supplement—first for Maariv, and later for its competitor, Yedioth Ahronoth. His column's name, "Where's the Money?", became his political slogan decades later.In 1994, Lapid started on TV, hosting the leading Friday evening talk show on Israel TV's Channel 1.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Yair Lapid, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2022,weblink 10 March 2018,weblink live, In 1997, he had an acting role in an Israeli film about the Gulf War, Song of the Siren.WEB, Love, daily life battle war in fresh Israeli film, "Siren", Newspapers.com, Leslie, Rubinkowski, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 15 February 1997, 27, 1 July 2022,weblink 1 July 2022,weblink live, He next hosted a talk show on TV Channel 3. In the 1990s, Lapid hosted a current affairs talk show called "Yair Lapid" on Channel 2.WEB,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140803032835weblink">weblinkweblink 3 August 2014, יאיר לפיד, Yair Lapid, Reshet, From 1989 to 2010, Lapid wrote and published books spanning a variety of genres. His first was a thriller, of which he has published three more; the others include two children's books, two novels, and a collection of his newspaper columns. In addition, he wrote a drama series, War Room, that aired on Channel 2 in 2004. He has written a total of 12 books. His most successful book, Memories After My Death, was a biography of his late father.Yair Lapid {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628115249weblink |date=28 June 2022 }} – Official BiographyLapid was also a songwriter for numerous Israeli musicians, among them Rami Kleinstein, Yardena Arazi, and Rita. Some of the songs he wrote became hits which reached the top of the charts in Israel.WEB,weblink הלהיטים הגדולים של יאיר לפיד, xnet, 1 July 2022, 15 June 2021,weblink live, In January 2008, Lapid was the host of Ulpan Shishi (Friday Studio), Channel 2's Friday night news magazine. That year, the Cameri Theater performed his first play, The Right Age for Love.WEB, Yair Lapid, Government of Israel, embassies.gov.il, 1 July 2022,weblink 1 July 2022,weblink live, In January 2012, controversy arose after Lapid was admitted by Bar-Ilan University into a doctorate program, studying towards a PhD in hermeneutics. This was in violation of rules stating that all doctoral candidates must hold at minimum a bachelor's degree. Lapid, who had failed to complete high school, was admitted to the university based on his extra-academic credentials and career in journalism and writing. After the Knesset Education Committee launched an investigation, the Council for Higher Education canceled the program under which Lapid was admitted, which had allowed students without a BA to study towards a doctorate.WEB, 23 February 2012, No BA means no PhD for Yair Lapid,weblink The Times of Israel, 6 March 2021, 14 April 2021,weblink live, WEB, Harkov, Lahav, 29 January 2012, Knesset C'tee to probe Lapid doctorate affair,weblink The Jerusalem Post, 6 March 2021, 1 March 2021,weblink live, In September 2013, the Israeli edition of Forbes magazine estimated Lapid's net worth at 22 million shekels.WEB,weblink Israel's wealthiest politicians, Forbes, 5 September 2013, 6 October 2013, Galit Edot, 1 October 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131001202821weblink">weblink dead,

Political career

Formation of Yesh Atid and 2013 election

{{See also|2013 Israeli legislative election}}File:יאיר לפיד - כנס שדרות לחברה במכללה האקדמית ספיר-2.JPG|thumb|Yair Lapid giving a speech at Sapir Academic CollegeSapir Academic CollegeOn 8 January 2012 Lapid announced that he would be leaving journalism in order to enter politics.NEWS,weblink Veteran Israeli anchor Yair Lapid leaves Channel 2 to enter politics, Haaretz, 8 January 2012, 8 January 2012, 9 January 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120109061901weblink">weblink live, On 30 April he formally registered his party, "Yesh Atid" (, lit., "There's a Future").NEWS,weblink Lapid registers new party, 'Yesh Atid', The Jerusalem Post, 29 April 2012, 29 April 2012, 29 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120429143214weblink">weblink live, The move was timed to coincide with the general expectation in Israel for early elections to be held in the early fall of 2012.WEB, Israeli TV talkshow host Yair Lapid to launch political party, Sherwood, Harriet, The Guardian, 9 January 2012, 1 July 2022,weblink 1 December 2021,weblink live, A few days after Yesh Atid's registration, in a surprise move, Benjamin Netanyahu formed a national unity government. It was then thought that Lapid's party would have to wait until late 2013 before it could participate in national elections. But in October 2012, following the departure of Kadima from Netanyahu's coalition over how to implement a Supreme Court decision ending the exemption from the military draft for the ultra-Orthodox, Netanyahu announced that elections would take place in late January 2013, affording Yesh Atid its first opportunity to run. In November 2012, Yesh Atid was polling an average of 11.6%, or 13–14 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The results of the January election showed the party winning an unexpected 19 seats, making Yesh Atid the second-largest party in the 19th Knesset.NEWS,weblink 19th Knesset to see Right, Left virtually tied, ynet, 22 January 2013, 22 January 2013, 23 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130123184805weblink">weblink live,

Minister of Finance (2013–2014)

After the election, Yesh Atid joined the new government led by Netanyahu. Lapid was named finance minister on 15 March 2013.NEWS, Ex-TV anchor Yair Lapid named as Israeli finance minister,weblink Reuters, 15 March 2013, 15 March 2013, 7 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160307131745weblink">weblink live, Only nine months later, a survey was published showing a continuing trend of decreasing popularity, with 75% of those polled claiming to be disappointed by his performance, and his party achieved only 10 seats in the Knesset, as opposed to the 19 it got at the beginning of the year.WEB, 75% dissatisfied with Lapid's performance,weblink Globes, 26 December 2013, 26 December 2013, 27 December 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131227085225weblink">weblink live, On 2 December 2014, Netanyahu fired Lapid as finance minister.Ilan Ben Zion, (2 December 2014). Netanyahu fires Lapid, Livni from ministerial posts {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216055623weblink |date=16 December 2014 }}. The Times of Israel. At the same time, Netanyahu also dismissed Hatnua party leader Tzipi Livni from her cabinet post.Accusing Lapid and Livni of attempted ‘putsch’, Netanyahu fires them, calls elections Times of Israel, 2 December 2014

Yesh Atid in the Knesset opposition (2015–2021)

Yesh Atid won eleven seats in the 2015 election, a decrease of eight seats.WEB, Yesh Atid - parties,weblink en.idi.org.il, 14 January 2024, he, In the resulting Knesset, Yesh Atid sat in the opposition to a government headed by Netanyahu.WEB, Maulem, Mazal, Will one slip of the tongue cost this Israeli opposition figure the premiership? - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East,weblink Al-Minotor, 14 January 2024, en, 6 July 2016, In 2016, Lapid presented his platform, the "Seven Point Plan for Israel", which included a robust security doctrine, a regional conference with Arab states based on the necessity of separating from the Palestinians, reforms of the political system to clean up corruption, the State of Israel that strikes a balance between its Jewish and democratic character, a strengthened law enforcement system, an economy propelled forward by innovation, and increased emphasis on education and science.WEB, Yesh Atid Headed by Yair Lapidc,weblink www.yeshatid.org.il, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink live, WEB, "תוכנית 7 הנקודות" של לפיד,weblink www.israelhayom.co.il, 22 May 2021, he, 22 May 2021,weblink live, Lapid and Yesh Atid claimed to spearhead the fight against corruption in Israel. The "Nachshon Plan", unveiled in 2017, stipulates that any person found guilty of corruption will be banned from serving in public office. To prevent political bribery, it also abolishes "coalition funds".NEWS, Yesh Atid Israel Centrist Party – This is How We Will Combat Corruption,weblink 24 June 2018, en-US, 11 November 2020,weblink dead,

First tenure as leader of the opposition (2020–2021)

File:Blue and White1.jpg|thumb|Lapid (r.) with Benny GantzBenny GantzIn the April 2019 and September 2019 elections, Yesh Atid joined the centrist Blue and White coalition headed by Benny Gantz. Neither election resulted in the formation of a government. Yesh Atid again ran in the coalition for the 2020 election, but left the coalition after Gantz formed a unity government headed by Netaynahu (with plans for a rotation). Yesh Atid continued to sit as an opposition party.WEB, Meet Israel's 'Yesh Atid' party,weblink All Israel News, 14 January 2024, January 2023, WEB, "Blue and White" - Kahol Lavan Party,weblink Jewish Virtual Library, 14 January 2024, Lapid served as leader of the oppositionWEB, Who is Yair Lapid, the opposition leader challenging Netanyahu?,weblink Al Jazeera, 14 January 2024, en, May 31, 2021,

Rotation government (2021–22)

Formation

(File:Yair Lapid meeting with Reuven Rivlin against the background of the efforts to form a new government of Israel, May 2021 (GPOZAC 7336).jpg|thumb|Lapid (l.) with president Reuven Rivlin in May 2021)On 5 May 2021, Lapid was entrusted with the second mandate to form a new government, after the incumbent Netanyahu failed to do so with the first mandate. On 9 May 2021, it was reported that Lapid and Bennett had made major headway in the coalition talks.NEWS, Shlezinger, Yehuda, Report: Lapid, Bennett make major headway in coalition talks,weblink Israel Hayom, 10 May 2021, 10 May 2021, 10 May 2021,weblink live, However, on 10 May, coalition talks seemed to be jeopardized as the Ra’am party announced it was suspending coalition talks, due to escalation in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.NEWS, Fulbright, Alexander, Ra'am freezes coalition talks with 'change bloc,' amid violence,weblink The Times of Israel, 10 May 2021, 10 May 2021, 14 May 2021,weblink live, On 13 May his path to being Prime Minister was further complicated when Naftali Bennett reportedly decided against joining a Lapid government due to the ongoing military conflict with Gaza.NEWS, Schneider, Tal, Bennett rules out 'change gov't' due to Gaza unrest, renews talks with Likud,weblink The Times of Israel, 13 May 2021, 13 May 2021, 13 May 2021,weblink live, On 30 May 2021, Bennett announced in a televised address that Yamina would indeed join a unity government with Lapid, after all but one of Yamina's MKs agreed to back this decision.NEWS, With his party's support, Bennett says he's heading into government with Lapid,weblink The Times of Israel, 30 May 2021, 30 May 2021, 30 May 2021,weblink live, On 2 June 2021, following negotiations with Lapid and Bennett, Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas officially signed a coalition agreement with Lapid and agreed to allow his party to join.WEB, Mansour Abbas signs coalition agreement to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu,weblink The National, 2 June 2021, 2 June 2021, 2 June 2021,weblink live, The Knesset ultimately voted in favor of the new government by a one-vote margin on 13 June.NEWS, כהן, שירית אביטן, זקן, דני, טרבלסי, נבו, 13 June 2021, הכנסת הצביעה בעד: ממשלת בנט-לפיד יוצאת לדרך, Globes,weblink 20 May 2022, he, 20 May 2022,weblink live, the government was sworn in that same day, with Lapid becoming the Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and the Minister of Foreign Affairs.WEB, כל הפנים והשמות: כך נראית הממשלה ה-36 של מדינת ישראל,weblink 20 May 2022, Maariv, 13 June 2021, he, 3 December 2021,weblink live,

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Alternate Prime Minister

Upon becoming the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lapid's ministry assumed the duties of the now-defunct Ministry of Strategic Affairs.WEB, 19 July 2021, המשרד לנושאים אסטרטגיים נסגר: נחוץ או משרד החוץ?,weblink 20 May 2022, מקור ראשון, he-IL, 20 May 2022,weblink live, Several weeks later Lapid inaugurated Israel's embassy in Abu Dhabi, in what was the first official visit of the country by a member of the Israeli Government.NEWS, 29 June 2021, Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid opens embassy in Abu Dhabi,weblink 20 May 2022, The Guardian, 20 May 2022,weblink live, In August 2021, he appointed former Minister of Health Yael German as Israeli Ambassador to France, and former Member of the Knesset Shimon Solomon as ambassador to Angola.WEB, השרה לשעבר יעל גרמן מונתה לשגרירת ישראל בצרפת,weblink 20 May 2022, Kan 11, he, 15 August 2021,weblink live, On 11 August, Lapid visited Rabat to inaugurate Israel's embassy in the city.WEB, לפיד במרוקו: היום אנחנו לא פוליטיקאים טובים, אנחנו הורים טובים,weblink 20 May 2022, Kan 11, he, 15 August 2021,weblink live, In September, he inaugurated the Israeli Embassy in Manama,WEB, איראן על ביקור לפיד בבחריין: "הנוכחות של ישראל באזור הרסנית",weblink Kan 11, he, 20 May 2022, 1 October 2021,weblink live, and announced the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Sweden.WEB, ישראל ושוודיה חידשו את היחסים בדרג שרי החוץ לראשונה מאז 2014,weblink Kan 11, he, 20 May 2022, 30 September 2021,weblink live,

Prime Minister of Israel

Lapid became the interim Prime Minister of Israel on 1 July 2022,WEB,weblink Yair Lapid Officially Becomes New Prime Minister Of Israel, NDTV.com, 3 November 2022, after the Knesset had voted to dissolve and call a snap election the previous day.NEWS, יאיר לפיד נכנס לתפקידו כראש הממשלה ה-14 של ישראל, he, Haaretz,weblink 2023-06-18, The rotation government agreement had specified that if a snap election were called while Bennett was still prime minister, then Lapid would rotate into the premiership as acting prime minister until the next government would be formed after the election. During his premiership, Lapid continued to hold the additional office of minister of foreign affairs.WEB, Ravid, Barak, Israel coalition agrees to dissolve parliament and hold early elections,weblink Axios, 14 January 2024, June 20, 2022, (File:President Joe Biden meets with leaders of India, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates.jpg|thumb|Prime Minister Lapid with U.S. President Biden, 2022)During his term, Israel was involved in a series of clashes with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip dubbed "Operation Breaking Dawn".WEB, מבצע עלות השחר: כך חוסלו בכירי הג'יהאד האיסלאמי - דקה אחרי דקה,weblink 2023-06-18, Maariv, 9 August 2022, The three-day August operation was widely regarded as successful. The operation was overseen primarily by Lapid and Gantz (who was serving as defense minister).Multiple sources:

• WEB, Breuer, Eliav, How will the Right downplay the success of Operation Breaking Dawn?,weblink The Jerusalem Post, 14 January 2024, 13 August 2022,
• WEB, Verer, Yossi, How will the Right downplay the success of Operation Breaking Dawn?,weblink The Jerusalem Post, 14 January 2024, 8 August 2022,
• WEB, Maulem, Mazal, Israel's Lapid scores political points with Gaza operation - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East,weblink Al-Monior, 14 January 2024, en, 8 August 2022, The operation was limited in its scope.WEB, Keller-Lynn, Carrie, Lapid is the Gaza operation's political winner, but can this be converted to votes?,weblink Times of Israel, 14 January 2024, August 8, 2022,

Second tenure as leader of the opposition (2022–present)

In the snap election, Yesh Atid won 24 seats.WEB, 2022-11-02, בתום ספירת הקולות: גוש נתניהו זוכה ל-64 מנדטים, מרצ מחוץ לכנסת - וואלה! בחירות 2022,weblink 2023-06-18, וואלה!, he, A new government was formed by Benjamin Netanyahu, who succeeded Lapid as Prime Minister on 29 December 2022.WEB, נתניהו חזר: ממשלת ישראל ה-37 הושבעה,weblink 2023-06-18, סרוגים, he, Lapid became the Leader of the Opposition for a second time on 2 January 2023.WEB, Leader of the Opposition,weblink 13 January 2023, Knesset, Lapid participated in the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests.WEB, Wright, George, Israel sees one of its biggest-ever protests,weblink BBC News, 14 January 2024, 11 March 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed that opposition parties Yesh Atid and National Unity enter an emergency unity government amid the October 2023 Gaza−Israel conflict,WEB, Netanyahu offers Lapid, Gantz to join him in emergency unity government,weblink 2023-10-07, www.timesofisrael.com, en-US, after Leader of the Opposition Lapid urged Nethanyahu put "aside our differences and form an emergency, narrow, professional government."WEB, Keller-Lynn, Carrie, Lapid urges emergency government, says PM can't manage war with extreme cabinet,weblink 2023-10-07, www.timesofisrael.com, en-US, Only Gantz's National Unity accepted the offer. Lapid took issue with the structure Netanyahu offered, as well as the fact that Netanyahu would not remove Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich as ministers in his government. Lapid regarded both of these men to be extremists.WEB, Lapid tells why he did not join the emergency unity government,weblink Israel National News, Arutz Sheva, 14 January 2024, October 12, 2023, WEB, Keller-Lynn, Carrie, Lapid accuses government of 'unpardonable failure,' says won't join emergency government,weblink The Times of Israel, 14 January 2024, 12 October 2023, On 28 March 2024, Lapid won Yesh Atid's first leadership primary election with 52.5% of the vote,NEWS, Tov, Michael Hauser, 28 March 2024, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wins first-ever Yesh Atid party primary,weblink 29 March 2024, Haaretz, en, narrowly beating Ram Ben-Barak by 308 votes to 279.NEWS, Sokol, Sam, 28 March 2024, In surprise primary result, Lapid holds on to party leadership by a mere 29 votes,weblink 28 March 2024, The Times of Israel,

Political views

Lapid has said that he would demand a resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.{{YouTube|YfvQ_qOzMIA|‘Mishal Ham’ Talkshow (Hebrew â€“ ReshetTV) on 14:00}} His party's 2013 platform calls for an outline of "two states for two peoples", while maintaining the large Israeli settlement blocs, a united Jerusalem, and ensuring Israel's safety.WEB,weblink המצע המדיני בטחוני, yeshatid.org.il, he, 14 March 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130315150955weblink">weblink 15 March 2013, In January 2013, just days before the election, Lapid said he would not join a cabinet that stalled peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, and added that a single country for both Israelis and Palestinians without a peace agreement would endanger Israel's Jewish character. He said, "We're not looking for a happy marriage with the Palestinians, but for a divorce agreement we can live with."WEB, Winer, Stuart,weblink Lapid charms the lefties at NY's 92nd Street Y, The Times of Israel, 8 October 2013, 31 March 2016, 14 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160314220645weblink">weblink live, As part of a future peace agreement, Lapid said Palestinians would have to recognize that the large West Bank settlement blocs of Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma'aleh Adumim would remain within the State of Israel.WEB, Revital, Hovel,weblink Yair Lapid says he opposes occupation but will present platform in West Bank settlement, Haaretz, 20 October 2012, 12 September 2021, 15 March 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150315085937weblink">weblink live, According to Lapid, only granting Palestinians their own state could end the conflict and Jews and Arabs should live apart in two states, while Jerusalem should remain undivided under Israeli rule.NEWS,weblink Israel's rising star, The Economist, 2 February 2013, 12 September 2021, 24 April 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170424182604weblink">weblink live, NEWS,weblink Yair Lapid Calls for Return to Peace Talks, Forward, Reuters, 30 October 2012, 12 September 2021, 5 November 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131105210726weblink">weblink live, He is enthusiastic about annexing the Golan Heights, and has also declared that he is guided by a principle of "maximum Jews on maximum land with maximum security and with minimum Palestinians."Gil Stern,US helped Iran fund its next war against Israel,' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210605110111weblink'Lapid: |date=5 June 2021 }} The Jerusalem Post, 26 January 2016.Of the diplomatic stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Lapid said, "Most of the blame belongs to the Palestinian side, and I am not sure that they as a people are ready to make peace with us."WEB, Gil, Hoffman,weblink Yair Lapid: Palestinians not ready to make peace, The Jerusalem Post, 12 March 2012, 17 March 2013, 26 June 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120626131402weblink">weblink live, He has also dismissed the possibility of a comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians as unrealistic.NEWS,weblink Boosting the West Bank's economy, The Economist, 1 June 2013, 31 March 2016, 31 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160331155425weblink">weblink live, In June 2015, after the March 2015 elections, Lapid visited the United States, and after an hour-long interview, American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg wrote, "Lapid is a leader of the great mass of disillusioned centrists in Israeli politics. He could conceivably be prime minister one day, assuming Benjamin Netanyahu, in whose previous cabinet he served, ever stops being prime minister. Now functioning as a kind of shadow foreign minister, Lapid argues that Israel must seize the diplomatic initiative with the Palestinians if it is to continue existing as a Jewish-majority democracy, and he is proposing a regional summit somewhat along the lines of the earlier Arab Peace Initiative. Lapid is not a left-winger—he has a particular sort of contempt for the Israeli left, born of the belief that leftists do not recognize the nature of the region in which they live. But he is also for territorial compromise as a political and moral necessity, and he sees Netanyahu leading Israel inexorably toward the abyss."WEB,weblink 'Israel Can't Absorb 3.5 Million Palestinians and Remain a Jewish, Democratic State', Jeffrey, Goldberg, 25 June 2015, The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, 12 March 2017, 8 March 2017,weblink live, In September 2015, Lapid laid out his diplomatic vision in a major speech at Bar Ilan UniversityWEB,weblink A New Strategic Vision for Israel, Yair, Lapid, 22 September 2015, Tablet, 23 August 2016, 19 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160419193435weblink">weblink live, in which he said, "Israel's strategic goal needs to be a regional agreement that will lead to full and normal relations with the Arab world and the creation of a demilitarized independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. That's where Israel needs to head. Separation from the Palestinians with strict security measures will save the Jewish character of the state."Lapid supports recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. He stated in 2017 that with Iran attempting to establish a foothold in Syria, Israel cannot be expected to relinquish the Golan Heights.NEWS,weblink Lapid: World must recognize Israeli sovereignty over Golan, united Jerusalem as capital, The Jerusalem Post, Gil, Hoffman, 6 December 2017, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink live,

Religion and state

In 2013, when Yesh Atid sat in the government, Lapid pushed for increased public transportation on Shabbat, as opposed to the current law that mandates most public transportation shut down.NEWS,weblink Lapid takes on the religious status quo, The Times of Israel, Ron, Friedman, 6 March 2013, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink live, Additionally, Lapid strongly supports instituting a civil marriage track in Israel. Currently, marriage and divorce for Jews are controlled by the Chief Rabbinate, which will not officiate marriages between Jews and non-Jews, and some Israelis from the Soviet Union who are not Jewish according to Jewish law cannot marry in Israel.NEWS,weblink New campaign reopens debate on civil marriage in Israel, The Jerusalem Post, Jeremy, Sharon, 4 September 2017, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink live, Although Israel recognizes civil marriages that are performed abroad, there is no mechanism for performing civil marriage in Israel. In 2015, under Lapid's leadership, Yesh Atid championed a bill to institute civil marriage, but the bill was defeated in the Knesset, with 50 votes against and 39 in favor.NEWS,weblink Why is there no civil marriage in Israel?, The Times of Israel, Eric, Cortellessa, 12 July 2015, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink live,

Israel-diaspora relations

When Netanyahu walked back his promise to Diaspora Jews in 2017 to expand prayer at the Western Wall, Lapid strongly criticised the decision, saying that the Israeli government alienated "senators, congressmen, the majority of the pro-Israel lobby, major donors, the people we turn to when we need help ensuring that Israel will get advanced weapons, that the military assistance will increase, that there will be sanctions on Iran".NEWS,weblink MK Oren vows to vote against conversion bill at risk of getting fired, The Jerusalem Post, Gil, Hoffman, 26 June 2017, 24 June 2018, 2 September 2018,weblink live, He implored American Jews to "not give up on us. We have no intention of giving up on you. We are one people. It might take time. It might take elections. But in a democracy, the majority decides, and the majority in Israel want us to be one nation." Lapid asserts that it is Israel's responsibility to recognize all streams of Judaism, including streams which don't follow Orthodox Jewish Law.WEB,weblink MK Yair Lapid: "We have problems of the 21st century; we need solutions for the 21st century, with the leaders of the 21st century.", www.herzliyaconference.org, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180624150835weblink">weblink live, Lapid is a leading proponent of a deep bipartisan US-Israel relationship. He has upbraided Netanyahu for alienating American Democrats: "The fact that the [Israeli] government completely identifies with the conservative, evangelical faction of the Republican party is dangerous."NEWS,weblink Lapid: Netanyahu is 'dangerously' aligning Israel with conservative Republicans, The Times of Israel, 19 May 2018, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink live, When Jewish Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch's request to attend the embassy opening in Jerusalem was ignored, Lapid said, "There's no way the government of Israel didn't notice this. It's the job of the Prime Minister's office to look at the list and say: We are nonpartisan and are not just attached to Republicans."

Haredim

During the 2013 election campaign, Lapid spoke of "equal shares of the burden" for all Israeli citizens. He said he would work to see all Israeli citizens, including the thousands of Haredim, who had up until that point been exempt from most civil service, be included in military and civil service.NEWS,weblink Lapid sets agenda for next government, Ynet, Moran, Azulay, 23 January 2013, 31 March 2016, 15 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160415130059weblink">weblink live, WEB, Mazal Mualem,weblink Lapid Plan for Ultra-Orthodox to Serve In Israeli Military Must Go Forward, Al-Monitor, 1 February 2013, 31 March 2016, 15 April 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160415101028weblink">weblink live, On 27 May 2013, Lapid threatened to topple the government unless ultra-Orthodox would be subject to criminal sanctions for draft-dodging. In the view of some Haredim, Lapid's plan represents a "spiritual holocaust", as they believe that their Jewish studies are what upholds Israel. Some Haredim have declared that even at the risk of being criminals, they will continue in their Jewish studies and refuse to enlist or perform civilian service.WEB, Ofra, Edelman,weblink Lapid Threatens to Topple Government Unless ultra-Orthodox Dealt Equal Share of IDF Burden – National, Haaretz, 27 May 2013, 31 March 2016, 15 March 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150315100612weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Lapid Praises Bill That Would Criminalize Haredi Draft-dodging, Jonathan, Lis, Haaretz, 20 February 2014, 31 March 2016, 2 April 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150402182841weblink">weblink live, Lapid denied that he was seeking to destroy the Haredi way of life, saying: "Not one of us wishes, Heaven forbid, to force hiloniyut [secularism] on you or to impose our version of Israeli identity. This state was established so that Jews could be Jews, and live as Jews, without having to fear anyone."WEB,weblink Lapid to Ultra-Orthodox: "We Need You", Tablet, Yair, Rosenberg, Yair Rosenberg, 31 May 2013, 31 March 2016, 1 July 2022,weblink live,

Stance on alleged anti-Israel bias

Lapid is a vocal opponent of the BDS movement, which seeks to economically isolate Israel. He has said, "We can no longer abandon this battle to the haters of Israel. We need to defend Israel's good name in the world. They are besmirching us, and the time has come to answer them." Lapid has also helped college students in America oppose BDS.NEWS,weblink Lapid begins campaign against BDS, The Jerusalem Post, Gil, Hoffman, 15 December 2015, 24 June 2018, 24 June 2018,weblink live, Lapid has spoken out vehemently about alleged United Nations bias against Israel. In an op-ed, he excoriated the United Nations Human Rights Council for voting for "61 resolutions condemning human rights abuses across the world, and 67 resolutions which condemned Israel" in the past decade and having its own agenda item on Israel. Lapid blames UNESCO for "erasing Jewish history".NEWS,weblink How UNESCO erases history, The Times of Israel, Yair, Lapid, 18 October 2016, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180624152313weblink">weblink live, Lapid traces the UN's alleged bias against Israel to the creation of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) in 1950, which services only Palestinian refugees and gives them hereditary status so that the number of refugees has expanded from approximately 750,000 to five million.NEWS,weblink The United Nations has lost it, Yair, Lapid, The Times of Israel, 20 June 2016, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180624152715weblink">weblink live, Lapid has also indicated that if the media presents both sides of the story, or is objective then they serve Hamas, and only provide one side of the story when he said:"If international media is objective it serves Hamas. If it just shows both sides it serves Hamas. My argument is that the media can't just claim to bring both sides of the story. If you do that you are only bringing one. Hamas' side.That's cowardly and that's it's lazy, it's an insult insult to the victims, including the Palestinian victims. It's also an insult to the core idea of what journalism is. Believe me I know, I was a journalist for 31 years.I have no problem with criticism of Israel, but when you know that one side lies and one side makes every effort to verify the facts, the least we can expect is that you don't give a never-ending platform to their lies.""Ex-Israel PM: An objective media serves Hamas" 10/25/2023

Amendment to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance

Lapid, whose father was a Holocaust survivor, spoke out against Poland's controversial Holocaust bill, which would criminalize accusing the Polish nation of being complicit in the Holocaust. Lapid said: "No Polish law will change history. Poland was complicit in the Holocaust. Hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered on its soil without them having met any German officer."NEWS,weblink PM slams 'baseless' Polish bill, says 'the Holocaust cannot be denied', The Times of Israel, 27 January 2018, 24 June 2018, en-US, 24 June 2018,weblink live, He added that his "grandmother was murdered in Poland by Germans and Poles".NEWS,weblink Lapid: Poland was complicit in the Holocaust, new bill 'can't change history, The Times of Israel, 27 January 2018, 22 August 2019, 12 November 2018,weblink live, Lapid also wrote that there were "Polish death camps". The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum stated that Lapid's claims about alleged Polish cooperation in the Holocaust were a "conscious lie" and that Lapid was "using Holocaust as a political game" that mocked the victims, also likening his allegation to the claims made by Holocaust deniers.NEWS,weblink Yair Lapid's rhetoric on Poland feels like Holocaust denial, Auschwitz museum says, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Cnaan, Liphshiz, 10 May 2019, 22 August 2019, 3 August 2019,weblink live, WEB,weblink Auschwitz museum slams Lapid 'lie' after he claims Poles helped run death camps, The Times of Israel, 8 October 2021, 8 October 2021,weblink live, In February 2018, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that "there were Jewish perpetrators" of the Holocaust, "not only German perpetrators".NEWS,weblinkweblink 7 May 2022, subscription, live, Benjamin Netanyahu attacks Polish PM for saying Jews were among perpetrators of the Holocaust, The Independent, 18 February 2018, Maya, Oppenheim, 5 March 2021, {{cbignore}} Lapid condemned Morawiecki's words, saying: "The perpetrators are not the victims. The Jewish state will not allow the murdered to be blamed for their own murder."NEWS, Israel: Polish PM's 'Jewish perpetrators' Holocaust remark 'outrageous',weblink Deutsche Welle, 18 February 2018, 5 July 2018, 9 November 2020,weblink live, Lapid's book Memories After My Death chronicles his father's life and observations as Israel evolved over its first sixty years.NEWS,weblink Memories After My Death {{!, Yair Lapid {{!}} Macmillan|work=US Macmillan|access-date=24 June 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=24 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180624150725weblink|url-status=live}}

Awards and recognition

In April 2013, Lapid appeared on Time magazine's list of "100 Most Influential People in the World 2013" in the category Leaders. The following month, he ranked first on the list of the "Most Influential Jews in the World" by The Jerusalem Post. He also was listed as one of the "Foreign Policy Global Thinkers 2013".

Published works

{{div col}}

• The Double Head: thriller (1989)
• Yoav's Shadow: children's book (1992)
• One-Man Play: novel (1993)
• Elbi â€“ A Knight's Story: children's book (1998)
• The Sixth Riddle: thriller (2001)
• Standing in a Row: collection of newspaper columns (2005)
• The Second Woman: thriller (2006)
• Sunset in Moscow: thriller (2007)
• Memories After My Death: Biography (2010)
• A Journey to Our Future (2017)

{{div col end}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

{{Sister project links |wikt=no |b=no |v=no |author=yes}}

• {{Official websiteweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120510034705weblink">weblink}}
• {{MKlink|id=878}}
• {{IMDb name|0487503}}

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