Yair Lapid

Mourners bid farewell to Palestinian-Russian doctor Jamal Kheshwan and his son ahead of their burial in Gaza City, following early morning Israeli air strikes on the Palestinian territory, May 9, 2023. (Atia Mohammed/Flash90)
War on Gaza is the glue that binds Israel’s opposing camps
The Israeli right and center left have learned time and again that the best way to paralyze the opposition is to launch an assault on the blockaded strip.
By Orly Noy May 9, 2023
Israeli protesters clash with police on horseback while blocking Ayalon Highway during an anti-government demonstration, March 16, 2023. (Oren Ziv)
Israelis, welcome to BDS
Though not named as such, BDS tactics have been central to Israel’s anti-government protests. And the hypocrisy is not lost on Palestinians.
By Amjad Iraqi March 19, 2023
Members of the Joint List arrive for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence, Jerusalem, September 22, 2019. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
The forgotten role of Palestinian citizens in Israel’s coalition wars
Contrary to popular belief, Arab parties have been backing prime ministerial candidates for decades. But what did they gain from the political game?
By Wadea Awawdy October 27, 2022
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and head of the opposition Benjamin Netanyahu at a debate in the Knesset plenum, Jerusalem, June 13, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
How Netanyahu and apartheid brought down Israel’s government
The Knesset's failure to re-authorize separate West Bank legal systems was the final straw, but Bibi remains the omnipresent issue driving Israeli politics.
By Haggai Matar June 21, 2022
Young Jews from around the world celebrate 10 years of the Birthright program at an event held at the International Conference Center in Jerusalem, May 12, 2010. (Dudi Vaknin/Flash90)
The new hasbara campaign Israel doesn’t want you to know about
Losing the war for public opinion abroad, Israel is relaunching a heavily-funded plan to disguise its own propaganda behind the façade of 'foreign agents.'
By Itamar Benzaquen and The Seventh Eye January 25, 2022
An aerial photo of the demolition of the Khirbet Humsa community in the Jordan Valley, occupied West Bank, July 8, 2021. (Oren Ziv)
Where is the price for destroying a Palestinian village?
Diplomats can see that the new Israeli government is continuing to expel Palestinians. Why are their states still rewarding these crimes with honors?
By Sarit Michaeli July 26, 2021
Naftali Bennett, head of Yamina party and party members seen with Yamina supporters at the party headquarters in Petah Tikva, on elections night, on March 23, 2021. Photo by Avi Dishi/Flash90
Israel’s likely new government, explained
Netanyahu may be heading out, but his former allies and right-wing policies are still very much in.
By Haggai Matar June 1, 2021
Israeli police storm Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, April 26, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
Israel chooses violence
From the repression in Sheikh Jarrah to the bombing of Gaza, the Israeli government has opted to escalate its brutality toward Palestinians.
By Haggai Matar May 10, 2021
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon speeks with Benjamin Netanyahu (L) during a Knesset session. (Flash90)
The biggest myth about Israeli politics
It’s tempting to believe that non-politicians are the antidote to bad politicians, but it’s also wrong. In 2011, the Israeli pop singer Roni Superstar released a song called “Adoni” — literally “my lord,” or colloquially, “sir.” For sarcastic overtones, “His highness” will also do. Here is my free translation: “His Highness will tell me what…
By Dahlia Scheindlin April 24, 2019
Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid of the Blue and White party give a joint a statement in Tel Aviv on February 21, 2019. (Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)
To unseat Netanyahu, his challengers risk becoming just like him
As party lists are finalized in the lead-up to Israeli elections, the big bangs offer little substantive changes. And the challengers of the center look uncannily like the current leadership. A visual expression of the Israeli election campaign would look a lot like a Jackson Pollock painting. All of the parties running were required to…
By Dahlia Scheindlin February 22, 2019
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poses for a selfie with a Likud activist during a party faction meeting in the Knesset, July 9, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)
Do Israelis vote for political ideology or cult of personality?
Although Israelis have historically voted for strong political frontmen, it seems that dazzling personalities are no longer sufficient to winning elections. It turns out that voters are looking at the values, worldview, and policies. Last October, Lior Shlein, Israel’s top satirist, made a convincing case that Yair Lapid is a cult leader. Lapid was a TV celeb…
By Dahlia Scheindlin February 7, 2019
Former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz speaks at the annual World Zionist Conference, in Jerusalem on November 02, 2017. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90)
The future is the center: Meet the parties shaking up Israeli politics
Caught between growing extremism on the right and a battered left, Israelis are flocking to a new crop of centrist politicians who prioritize economic issues over solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Galia Ben Haim discussed her political opinions while driving back from jail. In addition to her day job, she volunteers at a women’s prison.  The inmates, she says, committed their…
By Dahlia Scheindlin January 28, 2019
Ahmad Tibi. 'The right attacks me because they accuse me of emphasizing Palestinian nationality.' (Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)
Ahmad Tibi has a plan to unseat Netanyahu, but it means leaving his Palestinian partners
Ahmad Tibi’s recent announcement that he would split from the Joint List has rattled Palestinian citizens. In an interview, he speaks about the successes and failures of the list, why his party would be better off alone, and why he may join forces with Israel’s centrist leaders. By Meron Rapoport Four years after it was established, the Joint List, which succeeded in…
By +972 Magazine January 22, 2019
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  3. Remembering an artist who gave life to the children of Gaza
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  5. Israel’s designs for Jenin refugee camp are about more than just destruction
  1. Israel’s designs for Jenin refugee camp are about more than just destruction
  2. The Israeli army is facing its biggest refusal crisis in decades
  3. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  4. Where’s the outrage over ‘systematic’ sexual violence against Palestinians?
  5. Remembering an artist who gave life to the children of Gaza
  1. Israel’s latest vision for Gaza has a name: Concentration camp
  2. Germany moves to deport four foreign residents for pro-Palestine activism
  3. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  4. The Israeli army is facing its biggest refusal crisis in decades
  5. ‘When our grandchildren ask what we did during the genocide, I’ll say I refused’