Archiv: Yesh Atid


30.03.2024 - 19:45 [ Times of Israel ]

In surprise close call, Lapid holds on to party leadership by a mere 29 votes

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid beat out opponent MK Ram Ben Barak by the skin of his teeth in Thursday afternoon’s Yesh Atid primary, the party’s first leadership contest since it was founded by Lapid in 2012. (…)

Ben Barak had not presented a strong challenge to the longtime leader, stating repeatedly that he does not differ materially in his policy outlook from Lapid and is mainly running in order to promote the “democratization” of the party, which has been under the same leadership for over a decade.

23.01.2024 - 04:44 [ Times of Israel ]

No-confidence motion against Netanyahu fails in Knesset, with only 18 votes in favor

With the government’s popularity plummeting, a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nevertheless garnered only 18 votes in the Knesset on Monday evening, falling far short of the necessary majority to pass in the 120-strong Knesset plenum.

The vote was boycotted by the coalition, whose heads stated earlier in the day that they would “not take part in political theater during wartime.”

19.10.2023 - 10:32 [ Nimrod Flaschenberg, from Tel Aviv. Now in Berlin. / Twitter ]

My former boss MK @AidaTuma said in Knesset that no child, neither Jew nor Palestinian, is guilty and that no child should be a victim of this blood cycle. MK Merav Ben-Ari, a member of Lapid’a party, responded: “The children in Gaza brought it upon themselves.“

(16.10.2023)

07.10.2023 - 20:34 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Opposition Lawmaker Gantz Briefed on Saudi Deal With U.S. National Sec. Advisor in White House

(05.10.2023)

The Biden administration hopes Israeli opposition parties will consider joining the coalition in place of its far-right members in case the latter opposes any concessions towards the Palestinians as part of a potential Saudi agreement

05.10.2023 - 14:30 [ chitowngringa #Boycott Bibi-BenGvir / Twitter ]

A unity government destroys Gantz and Lapid, especially Gantz politically, and will allow Bibi to remain in charge until his death followed by a Likud puppet. It means that there will be NO democracy in Israel in the future, which is what you don‘t seem to understand.

Plus on a personal level, it appears humiliating and degrading for anyone to be forced to „kneel“ and serve as Bibi‘s powerless slave ministers. Gantz wants to be PM, not spend what remains of his political career pouring Miss Piggy‘s pink champagne for her.

05.10.2023 - 12:50 [ Barak Ravid, Political reporter for Axios covering foreign policy & the 2024 election. Washington correspondent for Walla. Author of Trump's Peace. / Twitter ]

Scoop: Former Israeli minister of defense Benny Gantz is on a low profile visit to Washington & met today at the White House with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, two U.S. sources told me. His visit comes amid White House efforts to reach a mega deal with Saudi Arabia

05.10.2023 - 12:35 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Opposition Lawmaker Gantz Briefed on Saudi Deal With U.S. National Sec. Advisor in White House

The Biden administration hopes Israeli opposition parties will consider joining the coalition in place of its far-right members in case the latter opposes any concessions towards the Palestinians as part of a potential Saudi agreement

12.09.2023 - 21:36 [ Times of Israel ]

US said to hold undisclosed talks with Gantz, Bennett over Saudi normalization

Lapid told the Americans he was vehemently opposed to allowing Saudi Arabia to carry out any nuclear enrichment on its soil.

The report said Gantz and Bennett were believed to have also highlighted the dangers of a regional nuclear race if the Saudis had their own program.

19.08.2023 - 21:39 [ Times of Israel ]

Halutz slams opposition MKs amid talk of unity government with Netanyahu

Halutz then slams President Isaac Herzog for contributing “to the creation of the illusion that there is a possibility of resolving this crisis.”

“We are at the core of an unprecedented crisis of distrust between the majority of Israeli citizens and the leadership that governs us. Benjamin Netanyahu is not the solution, he is the problem,” Halutz adds.

29.07.2023 - 22:46 [ Times of Israel ]

Likud denies any ‘rebellion’ in its ranks over judicial overhaul

Netanyahu has since said he will seek to build consensus before approving further changes to the judicial system, but also pledged the coalition will move forward alone if no deal is reached.

“There is no rebellion in Likud. We all want to reach agreements and need to make the maximum effort to do so, but we will not give the other side a veto,” the ruling party said in a statement.

29.07.2023 - 08:31 [ i24news.tv ]

Israel‘s DM Gallant wants unity government without far-right parties – report

According to the report by Ynet, Gallant intends to work toward such a coalition with the National Unity party headed by Gantz, and Yesh Atid headed by Lapid, even if it meant that he would have to resign from his ministerial post.

This potential switch would primarily be made to replace the far-right Religious Zionism headed by Bezalel Smotrich and Jewish Power headed by Itamar Ben-Gvir, in order to halt movements toward extremism, and return to a national conesus.

24.07.2023 - 11:10 [ Times of Israel ]

Yesh Atid MK defends Lapid over last-ditch talks: Israel in ‘a catastrophic situation’

Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar defends the decision by opposition leader Yair Lapid’s party to take part in talks to restrict the scope of the “reasonableness” bill and pause the rest of the judicial overhaul as further negotiations are held.

“There are moments in life when you can’t only make political calculations. Someone needs to be the adult in the room,” she tells the Ynet news site.

23.07.2023 - 18:23 [ Times of Israel ]

Likud, protest leaders reject labor union’s compromise overhaul bill

Likud minister David Amsalem launched a public attack on Bar-David, anticipating that the latter could end up launching a nationwide strike.

“I remind you that you represent workers who are mostly Likud people who are struggling to make a living,” Amsalem tweeted. “The issue of the judicial reform should be decided in the Knesset, not in the corridors of the Mapai-like Histadrut,” he argued, citing the workers’ party that was a precursor to left-wing Labor and was the ruling party for Israel’s first three decades.

23.07.2023 - 13:15 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Lapid meets with Histadrut leader amid talks of widespread strike

Lapid and Histadrut Chairman Arnon Bar-David reportedly discussed the outline for dialogue that the chairman and his colleagues had recently presented to the prime minister.

Bar-David said after meeting with Lapid: „I will continue to turn over every stone and work with all my might to try and find the right compromise.

23.07.2023 - 13:01 [ Haaretz ]

Lapid meets chief of Israel‘s labor federation amid calls to shut down the economy

Following the meeting, Lapid said he commends „the efforts of the chairman and the framework set by the Histadrut as a basis for shared dialogue.“ Bar-David said „I call on the other parties to show responsible leadership.„

23.07.2023 - 12:34 [ Times of Israel ]

Lapid meets with union chief in Tel Aviv, amid protesters’ pressure for strike

Opposition leader Yair Lapid is meeting with Histadrut labor federation chair Arnon Bar-David in the latter’s office in Tel Aviv.

Bar-David has come under pressure from anti-overhaul protesters to call a strike over the coalition’s bill to curb the authority of the courts.

04.07.2023 - 19:04 [ Times of Israel ]

Opposition leaders say advancing ‘reasonableness’ bill harms Israelis

Despite breaking off compromise talks last month, Yesh Atid and National Unity party heads say that it is still “possible to reach agreements, it is possible to make changes in the judicial system for the good of Israeli citizens and not for the tyranny of the majority and corrupt appointments.”

04.07.2023 - 18:43 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Four MKs apply to vacant Judicial Selection Committee spot as repeat vote nears

The nine-member Judicial Selection Committee includes three High Court justices, one of whom is the chief justice; two ministers, one of whom is the justice minister; two Knesset members; and two representatives of the Israel Bar Association (IBA). One each of the judges, ministers, MKs and IBA representatives must be a woman.

The committee is responsible for appointing judges at all levels of Israel‘s civil court system.

18.06.2023 - 14:27 [ @AvigdorLiberman, Chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party / Twitter ]

ביומיים האחרונים שוחחתי עם שורה של בכירים מאוד בליכוד. התמונה המסתמנת, היא שכל מה שהיה ביום רביעי בכנסת, סביב ההצבעה לוועדה לבחירת שופטים הייתה הצגה אחת גדולה, שמאחוריה היה דיל מרובע בין גנץ ולפיד מצד אחד לנתניהו ודרעי מהצד השני.

(17.06.2023)

ומי שהצביעו עבור קארין אלהרר ופנינה תמנו שטה היו גם חברי הכנסת של ש״ס, בהוראה של דרעי ואולי אף דרעי בעצמו, ובידיעת נתניהו, גנץ ולפיד.

האינטרס של לפיד וגנץ היה להראות ״הישג״ בהצבעה בכנסת, האינטרס של נתניהו היה להקפיא את ההפיכה המשטרית על מנת להגיע לוושינגטון ולמסמס את המחאה, והאינטרס של דרעי היה להמשיך את השיחות בבית הנשיא על מנת לסלול את דרכו לממשלה.

נתניהו ודרעי הבינו שללא נציגת האופוזיציה בוועדה תקום סערה ציבורית והכל יתפוצץ. לכן פעלו כפי שפעלו בתיאום מלא עם גנץ ולפיד.
ולכן גם ההודעה של גנץ ולפיד, שהם משהים את השיחות עד לבחירת נציג הקואליציה לוועדה וכינוסה, גם האמירה הזאת היא עבודה בעיניים, הכל בלוף.

זה פשוט המשך שיתוף פעולה, וחלק מאותה הסכמה של גנץ ולפיד להכשיר את דרעי ולהכניסו לממשלה.

גנץ ולפיד הרימו דגל לבן, ועשו מכירת חיסול של הציבור הליברלי במדינת ישראל.

לצערי זו האמת מאחורי השיחות בבית הנשיא וההצבעה בכנסת ביום רביעי.

18.06.2023 - 14:25 [ Haaretz ]

„One Big Show“: Opposition Lawmaker Says Gantz and Lapid Cut Deal With Netanyahu Over Key Judicial Panel Vote

(17.06.2023)

“The picture that arises is that everything that happened on Wednesday in the Knesset vote for the Judicial Appointments Committee was one big show, behind which there was a four-way deal between [National Unity Party chief Benny] Gantz and [Opposition leader Yair] Lapid on one side and Netanyahu and [Shas leader Arye] Dery on the other,” Lieberman posted on his Twitter account.

“The interest of Lapid and Gantz is to show ‘an achievement’ in the Knesset vote, Netanyahu’s interest is to freeze the [judicial overhaul] so he can go to Washington and soften the protests, and Dery’s interest is to continue the talks at the President’s Residence to pave his path back to the government,” he wrote.

18.06.2023 - 14:14 [ Haaretz.com / Nitter ]

After months of dogged public protest, it‘s tempting to view the election of Yesh Atid lawmaker Karine Elharrar to the Judicial Appointments Committee as a victory.

(June 15, 2023)

But it may well be a Pyrrhic victory, writes @noa_landau

18.06.2023 - 14:04 [ Haaretz ]

Key Opposition Lawmaker Predicts Judicial Coup Compromise Deal Be Reached This Week

(Jun 12, 2023)

A compromise agreement between coalition and opposition lawmakers over the government‘s judicial overhaul is expected to be reached as early as Wednesday, opposition MK Avigdor Lieberman said on Monday.

According to the Yisrael Beitenu chairman, the agreement will come after the opposition candidate for the Judicial Appointments Committee, MK Karine Elharrar of Yesh Atid, is elected to the position.

18.06.2023 - 13:46 [ Haaretz ]

Israelis Rally for Democracy for 24th Week in a Row Amid Judicial Overhaul Talks Blowup

Lapid made an appearance at the Tel Aviv protest on Saturday night. At Kaplan Street, a demonstrator yelled at him, „No negotiations!“ To which he responded, „We‘re not there.“ Although he and Gantz have agreed to delay the negotiations with the coalition, protesters are demanding that they shelve them completely.

Former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni also gave a speech at that rally, saying that the government is „already advancing fascist decisions and legislation that will change the face of Israel forever. Decisions and legislation that erase democracy, bring about religious supremacy over secular people, Jewish supremacy over Arabs and messianic supremacy over judges.“

16.04.2023 - 10:52 [ Haaretz ]

Tens of Thousands Flock to Protests Across Israel to Oppose Netanyahu’s Judicial Overhaul

Negotiating teams will meet next week at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem to begin dialogue over the laws of the proposed judicial overhaul. This will be the first time the sides will discuss the details of the laws submitted to the Knesset, with previous meetings having focused on technical issues.

Several speakers at the protests called on opposition leaders to halt the negotiations, among them former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz, who addressed the central demonstration in Tel Aviv.

14.04.2023 - 09:26 [ Haaretz ]

Netanyahu Is Plunging Dramatically in the Polls. But Don‘t Celebrate Yet

The day after the Channel 13 poll appeared, Netanyahu formally revoked his catastrophic dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

10.04.2023 - 06:32 [ Haaretz ]

Poll Shows Netanyahu Crashing, Gantz Far Ahead, Lapid Second

A mere 25 percent of those polled said they wanted the current government to continue leading the country. Thirty-three percent said they support a unity government instead, and another 33 percent prefer another round of elections. Among Likud voters, just 43 percent want the government‘s term to continue, 35 percent prefer a unity government and 10 percent want a return to the polls.

28.03.2023 - 06:52 [ Haaretz ]

Israel‘s Opposition Overtakes Netanyahu Bloc to Reach Majority, Polls Show

According to the polls, conducted by Channel 12 and public broadcaster Kan, if an election were held today, the parties that make up the current ruling coalition – Netanyahu’s Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Shas and United Torah Judaism – would amass a total of just 54 seats, seven short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. The opposition, made up of National Unity, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz, Ra’am and Labor, is projected to win 61 seats. Hadash-Ta’al would garner the remaining five seats.

11.01.2023 - 16:45 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Hadash-Ta’al Chair Odeh Accuses Lapid of Constantly Lying

Hadash-Ta’al MK Ayman Odeh accuses liberal opposition leader MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) of “constantly lying,” pointing to comments he made earlier today saying the Arab-Jewish list is working together with Likud. “He knows that it doesn’t have a grain of truth, that it’s all lies,” Odeh says Monday at a faction meeting in the Knesset of the Hadash-Ta’al parliamentary faction. “You didn’t succeed in leading your camp in the election, you’re not succeeding in leading the opposition,” Odeh says to Lapid. “You got used to the ‘nice Arab,” therefore it’s hard for you to deal with Arabs with a backbone.”

11.01.2023 - 16:40 [ Haaretz ]

Who Will Lead the Real Opposition to Netanyahu‘s Onslaught?

The largest demonstration held so far against the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu, on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, was notable in that none of the leaders of the parties of the previous government were present. It wasn’t just leader of the opposition Yair Lapid, who was on a brief weekend vacation in Paris. None of his other colleagues turned up either.

03.11.2022 - 03:52 [ AtlanticCouncil.org ]

As the election fog clears, Netanyahu poised to ride a hungry, far-right tiger

Conflicting priorities to maximize the performance of their own anchor slates and also strengthen the market shares of their allied factions—with which they would aspire to craft ruling coalitions—were the source of schizophrenic messaging by Likud and Yesh Atid, which left voters to choose in whom to place their trust. Those decisions shaped the current playing field.

29.10.2022 - 04:07 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Lapid Reiterates Hadash-Ta’al Will Not Sit in His Coalition

However, with four days left, no clear coalition can be created following Tuesday’s election, according to a final poll carried out by Panels Politics on behalf of Maariv. As in a similar poll last Friday, the Netanyahu bloc received 60 seats, the Lapid bloc received 56 seats and Hadash-Ta’al received the remaining four, the survey found. The poll showed Hadash-Ta’al. Meretz, Labor, and Islamist Ra’am passing the electoral threshold of 3.25% of the general vote.

27.10.2022 - 02:35 [ MSN.com ]

This Election Poll Made the Israeli Left Panic, as It Should

In the early stages of the campaign, when parties could still merge with others, Lapid begged Merav Michaeli, the leader of Labor, to join forces with Meretz. Even the James Webb telescope would fail to find ideological differences between the two parties. Michaeli, whatever her reasons may have truly been, shot down the idea. Now she could enter history books as the first Labor leader to remain beneath the threshold, and outside the Knesset.

24.10.2022 - 07:36 [ KnessetJeremy.com ]

9 Days to Election – KnessetJeremy Polling Average: Likud 31.6, Yesh Atid 24.3, Smotrich 13.4, Gantz 11.6, Shas 8.1, UTJ 7; Blocs Deadlocked

(October 23, 2022)

Smotrich made the most significant gain with a 0.6 jump. Liberman’s Yisrael Beitenu went up for the second straight week, this time by 0.3.

Likud dropped for the second consecutive week, this time by 0.5. Gantz also went down this week, this time by 0.3. Lapid’s Yesh Atid also lost 0.1.

Overall, we remain stuck at a 60-60 deadlock between the two blocs.

31.07.2022 - 06:38 [ Haaretz ]

Gantz Is Expecting Lapid to Bow Out Gracefully Once Again

Gantz is expecting Lapid to be the silver platter on which his government will rest. He’s expecting Lapid to bow out gracefully a fourth time.

First, Lapid gave up on leading Kahol Lavan (back when it was a joint ticket). Then he gave up on a rotation as prime minister should it win. Then he let Naftali Bennett be the first prime minister in the outgoing rotation government. As far as Gantz and his supporters are concerned, that’s Lapid’s purpose – to be an indefatigable capitulator, the person who provides springboards and makes governments for others.

11.07.2022 - 15:26 [ Jerusalem Post ]

Gantz and Sa‘ar sign political merger in bid to take votes from Lapid

Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope Party are merging, the two announced in a press conference on Sunday night.

“Today we are laying the foundation stone of the next government,” Gantz said. “The edges and extremes have set the tone for too long, and the Israeli center remained without a voice.”

22.06.2022 - 16:25 [ Haaretz ]

‘The Situation Is Worse Now’: Why Young Israelis Are Pitching Protest Tents in the Streets Again

The 2022 tents on Rothschild Boulevard went up a full week after the launch of the current protest movement, which officially began on June 13. On that day, the first tent compounds were seen in the north and south of the country – first in Pardes Hannah, and then Be’er Sheva, followed quickly by similar efforts in Holon and Rosh Ha’ayin, and subsequently Ramat Gan, Herzliya, Kfar Sava and elsewhere.

The fact that the current movement emerged – and is growing – in the periphery “testifies to the fact that it’s a truly grassroots phenomenon, and suffering is happening around the country,” says Guy

17.01.2022 - 16:40 [ Haaretz ]

Israeli Ministry Seeks Extention of Controversial Fingerprint Collection Order

Despite its statements, the Interior Ministry plans to continue collecting fingerprints for its biometric ID database until 2025, at the earliest. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has proposed a three-year extension of the emergency order that provides for gathering fingerprints from citizens. The Knesset must vote on the measure.

The ministry’s Population and Immigration Authority says it needs about two years to buy and introduce facial recognition technology that will obviate the need for fingerprints. The agency is considering retaining the fingerprint database for victim identification in the event of a national disaster.

17.01.2022 - 16:24 [ Communist Party of Israel ]

Racist ‘Citizenship Law’ Advances, Months after Ban on Palestinian Spouses Lapsed

The bill was rejected by the Knesset plenum six months ago, and since then, Shaked has struggled to obtain a majority. Joint List leader MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) said he was determined to prevent its passage. “We toppled the Citizenship Law, because we oppose racist, anti-democratic legislation”, Odeh said. “We will do everything we can to topple it again.” According to Hadash MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash), “This Israeli law is racist, collective, pre-emptive punishment. It can neither be justified, nor redeemed.” The Joint List also oppose Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s bill on drafting yeshiva students. All parties in the coalition support the bill, including Islamist Ra’am (United Arab List).