Yair Lapid, Israel’s Next Premier, Faces Test of a Lifetime

Israel’s incoming interim prime minister, Yair Lapid, was walking purposefully though not hurriedly outside a community center in Tel Aviv’s Gan Meir park when I saw him and stopped him, as one does in Israel, for a quick chat. It was a decade or so ago, when Mr. Lapid’s Yesh Atid party was in its infancy, and I do not recall exactly what we discussed. What I do remember is how his manner matched his outlook: affable, energetic, modern. His vision of a more secular version of Israel is one shared by many in liberal-minded, freewheeling Tel Aviv; the number of supporters is fewer in Jerusalem. Israel’s capital is where the brand of religious Zionism espoused by the outgoing prime minister, Naftali Bennett, finds greater favor, as does oppostion to the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank. Mr. Lapid’s endorsement of two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, however elusive such a solution may be, is just one of many overheated Pandora’s boxes about to land in his lap.Yesh Atid is Hebrew for “There is a Future.” That’s interesting, indeed, because in the Middle East there is so much heavy past that it seems like the present can barely keep up with it, let alone leave much room for thinking about the future. Yet it just came to Mr. Lapid, who after a 10-year political career has transformed himself from an upstart political novice to a feisty opposition leader and savvy operator who toppled Prime Minister Netanyahu.Next week, he is expected to assume his biggest role yet — as the new prime minister. Following the government’s decision to dissolve parliament, Mr. Lapid, now the foreign minister, is set to take office as caretaker prime minister until elections in the fall. It will be a critical test for Mr. Lapid, 58, who will try to convince Israelis he is worthy of the top office as he takes on a resurgent Mr. Netanyahu. Even in Israel, many do not not know much about him — case in point the headline in today’s Jerusalem Post, “Who is Yair Lapid, Israel’s incoming interim prime minister?”He is a canny political operator, for one thing. “A year ago, we started the process of rebuilding, and now: we’re carrying it on, and carrying it on together,” Mr. Lapid declared late Monday as he stood alongside his main coalition partner, Mr. Bennett. Officially, the two men were announcing the end of their year-old government — an alliance of eight diverse parties that was severely weakened by months of infighting and rebellion. In many ways, though, Mr. Lapid sounded like he was beginning his next campaign.“Even if we are going to elections in a few months, the challenges we face will not wait,” he said, pointing to Israel’s high cost of living and security challenges in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. With respect to the former, housing prices soared 15 percent in January and February 2022 compared to the same period last year, prompting young people priced out of the housing market to take to the streets of Tel Aviv, where they have pitched tents at makeshift protest encampments. It is a repeat of similar protests a decade ago, but indications are that this time around other cities may join the fray.In a swipe at Mr. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges, Mr. Lapid vowed to “stand against the forces threatening to turn Israel into a nondemocratic country.” Mr. Netanyahu, believing he is the victim of a political witch hunt, has made clear he intends to take on the country’s legal and law-enforcement establishment if he returns to power.A former author, columnist, news anchor, bank pitchman, and amateur boxer, Mr. Lapid left a successful career as a media personality to enter politics in 2012 as head of a new centrist party popular with middle-class Israelis.He promised economic relief, an end to controversial draft exemptions for seminary students, and a more moderate approach to the Palestinians.Unlike the right-wing parties that dominate Israel’s political system, Mr. Lapid favors peace talks leading to an eventual two-state solution with the Palestinians, although it’s unclear if he will ever have the kind of mandate needed to engage in such a process.In 2013, he led his new Yesh Atid party to a surprisingly strong showing in parliamentary elections. Yesh Atid finished as the second-largest party, with 19 seats in the 120-member parliament.Mr. Lapid became finance minister, a difficult and often thankless task. While marking some successes, his key promises of lowering the cost of living and bringing down housing prices failed to materialize. Mr. Netanyahu eventually fired him for insubordination.Yesh Atid dropped to 11 seats in the 2015 elections. Mr. Lapid found himself in the opposition and appeared to be on the way to becoming the latest in a long line of centrist politicians to flame out after early success.Yet Mr. Lapid managed to reinvent himself. He formed an alliance with the former military chief, Benny Gantz, that came close to toppling Likud in three consecutive elections.Those elections, focused on Mr. Netanyahu’s divisive personality and fitness to rule, all ended inconclusively. Moving to end the deadlock, Mr. Gantz briefly joined forces with Mr. Netanyahu in 2020 — leaving Mr. Lapid as opposition leader and a vocal government critic.When the country went back to the polls in early 2021, Yesh Atid once again surged and emerged as the second-largest party in parliament. In a stroke of creative diplomacy and political savvy, Mr. Lapid cobbled together a new coalition that pushed Mr. Netanyahu into the opposition for the first time in 12 years.Although Mr. Lapid was the mastermind of the alliance, he cemented the deal by agreeing to rotate the job of prime minister with Mr. Bennett — a move that was seen by many as selfless and statesmanlike. Mr. Lapid took on the post of foreign minister.The coalition members spanned the Israeli political spectrum, with little binding them together beyond opposition to Mr. Netanyahu. The government made history by being the first to include an Arab party.The coalition got off to a strong start — passing the first national budget in several years, navigating a pair of coronavirus waves and improving relations with the U.S. and Arab allies.Ultimately, ideological differences caused it to unravel. Parliament is expected to dissolve itself in a series of votes over the coming days. Once that happens, Mr. Lapid takes over as caretaker prime minister until elections in October or November. But as the Sun’s Benny Avni wrote, “the Israeli system is not strictly a competition between two candidates. The question is which of the two could gain the support of more than half of the 120 Knesset members.” Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party appears to be the front-runner, and insiders say Mr. Lapid won’t be able to secure enough seats to clinch a win.The coming months present great risk as well as great opportunity. While Mr. Lapid is sure to face relentless attacks from Mr. Netanyahu, who has tried to portray him as a lightweight who betrayed Israel’s security by allying with an Arab faction, he will do so from the perch of the prime minister’s office.As caretaker prime minister, he is unlikely to launch any major military operations or bold peace initiatives with the Palestinians. If Lapid can keep things quiet and avoid controversy, he could be well-positioned for the next election. He has always been deliberate, but rarely in a big hurry — perhaps a sweet strategy in the land of milk and honey after all.Anthony Grant contributed to this article.

Yair Lapid, Israel’s Next Premier, Faces Test of a Lifetime

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