Israel’s New Political Rock Star

Those who follow events in the Middle East, get to know the name Yair Lapid.

While barely registering as a blip on the radars of most Americans, the elections in Israel this past Tuesday sent shock waves through the small Middle-Eastern country. The right-wing Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu party, headed by current Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, maintained its position as the largest party in the 120 seat parliamentary system (Knesset), but its position was marked by a precipitous drop from 42 to 31 seats.

Picking up the slack was newcomer journalist-turned-politician Lapid, who won a surprising 19 seats, making his center-left Yesh Atid (“There is a Future”) party the second largest in the government, despite prior polling data projecting them in the 10-12 seat range.

Although the elections took place halfway across the world, there is an American connection. Lapid employed American pollster Mark Mellman (full disclosure, he’s my father), who has recently worked on the unexpected successful campaigns of Harry Reid, Heidi Heitkamp, and John Barrow, among many others.

While Lapid’s campaign was wildly successful, his goal was not to be prime minister (at least in this election). In Israel, the right and left wing parties have roughly an equal number of seats, and the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) parties provide the swing votes necessary to complete the coalition government.

The Haredi parties will align with anyone on the political spectrum, as long as they agree to the Haredi religious agenda, which includes further integration of church and state and continued exemption from mandatory army service for all Haredi men who are learning in kollel (Jewish study hall) full time.

Lapid’s goal for this election was to become the new swing party, replacing the more extreme Haredi factions with a pragmatic centrism that advocates for army or national service for all citizens, reduction of government waste, assistance for small businesses, improvement of the education system, and a secure, fair, two-state solution.

Netanyahu’s reduction in seats is likely less a result of a stalemate in peace negotiations than the Israeli social protests over the past few years, which saw thousands of Israeli citizens take to the streets in the name of economic equality. These protests, similar to the Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S., combined with Lapid’s enormous popularity as a journalist propelled him to an unprecedented second place finish.

Although Netanyahu will continue to act as the prime minister, Lapid’s ascent makes his position at the top far more precarious. Time Magazine’s depiction of “King Bibi” is still accurate, but he now more closely resembles an 18th century French ruler, liable to get overthrown at any moment.

Regardless of Netanyahu’s popularity, Americans in the know would do well to take some time to learn about Lapid; if this election is any indication, he will be heavily involved in politics for quite a while.

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