Yair Lapid

Yair Lapid is one of the best-known names in the Israeli opposition, and on JudgeMarket the public's verdict on him rests on a long-established centrist brand and a substantive record in government. The former media figure, who turned Yesh Atid into a major force, led the formation of the rotation government in 2021, served in it as foreign minister and, in the second half of 2022, as prime minister, and has been Leader of the Opposition since January 2023. To his supporters he is the statesmanlike alternative to the governing bloc, which is why his standing has often moved in the opposite direction to that of Benjamin Netanyahu; his critics on the right associate him with the Bennett–Lapid government and its inclusion of Ra'am, and out of power he also bears the structural burden of opposition: less control over the agenda and fewer chances to prove himself in practice. Ahead of the election on October 27, 2026, he made an unusual move: he joined forces with Naftali Bennett's party in a joint list called Together, headed by Bennett, and settled for second place on it. His supporters see this as putting the common goal ahead of personal prestige; on the other hand, the move narrows his platform and places him in Bennett's shadow. The election results and the role he takes on afterward, in government or once again in opposition, will shape the public's verdict on him from here.