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                                                                                         WORLD NEWS Wednesday 22 June 2022
            Lapid, set to be Israel’s next premier, faces critical test




            By JOSEF FEDERMAN            as  head  of  a  new  centrist  Yesh  Atid  dropped  to  11  sition for the first time in 12  vember.
            Associated Press             party popular with middle-   seats in the 2015 elections.  years.                      The  coming  months  pres-
            JERUSALEM  (AP)  —  In  a  class Israelis.                Lapid  found  himself  in  the  Although  Lapid  was  the  ent  great  risk    and  great
            10-year  political  career,  Is-                                                                                    opportunity.
            rael’s  Yair  Lapid  has  trans-                                                                                    Once  again,  Netanyahu’s
            formed  himself  from  an                                                                                           Likud  party  appears  to  be
            upstart  political  novice  to                                                                                      the front-runner. And once
            a  feisty  opposition  leader                                                                                       again,  Netanyahu’s  lead-
            to the savvy operator who                                                                                           ership style and legal woes
            toppled Prime Minister Ben-                                                                                         are likely to be high on vot-
            jamin Netanyahu.                                                                                                    ers’ minds.
            Next week, he is expected                                                                                           While Lapid is sure to face
            to  assume  his  biggest  role                                                                                      relentless  attacks  from  Ne-
            yet  as the new prime min-                                                                                          tanyahu,  who  has  tried  to
            ister.                                                                                                              portray him as a lightweight
            Following the government’s                                                                                          who betrayed Israel’s secu-
            decision  to  dissolve  parlia-                                                                                     rity by allying with an Arab
            ment,  Lapid,  now  foreign                                                                                         faction,  he  will  do  so  from
            minister, is set to take office                                                                                     the perch of the prime min-
            as caretaker prime minister                                                                                         ister’s office.
            until  elections  in  the  fall.  It                                                                                After  serving  as  foreign
            will be a critical test for La-                                                                                     minister  for  the  past  year,
            pid, 58, who will try to con-                                                                                       he will have even more op-
            vince Israelis he is worthy of                                                                                      portunities to strengthen his
            the  top  office  as  he  takes                                                                                     international  standing.  He
            on a resurgent Netanyahu.                                                                                           is set to host President Joe
            “A  year  ago,  we  started                                                                                         Biden on a visit next month
            the  process  of  rebuilding,                                                                                       and will have the opportu-
            and now: we’re carrying it                                                                                          nity to speak at the United
            on,  and  carrying  it  on  to-                                                                                     Nations  General  Assembly
            gether,”  Lapid  declared                                                                                           in September.
            late  Monday  as  he  stood                                                                                         Lapid  spoke  to  U.S.  Secre-
            alongside  his  main  coali-                                                                                        tary of State Antony Blinken
            tion partner, Prime Minister   Israeli  Foreign  Minister  Yair  Lapid  speaks  during  a  joint  statement  with  Prime  Minister  Naftali   on  Tuesday  to  prepare  for
            Naftali Bennett.             Bennett, at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, in Jerusalem, Monday, June 20, 2022.     Biden’s  visit,  the  Foreign
            Officially, the two men were                                                                       Associated Press  Ministry said.
            announcing  the  end  of                                                                                            “The  visit  will  have  signifi-
            their  year-old  government                                                                                         cant implications for the re-
            an alliance of eight diverse  He promised economic re-    opposition  and  appeared  mastermind of the alliance,  gion  and  the  fight  against
            parties  that  was  severely  lief, an end to controversial  to  be  on  the  way  to  be-  he  cemented  the  deal  by  Iran,  as  well  as  immense
            weakened by months of in-    draft  exemptions  for  semi-  coming the latest in a long  agreeing to rotate the job  potential to significantly im-
            fighting and rebellion. But in  nary  students  and  a  more  line of centrist politicians to  of prime minister with Ben-  prove regional stability and
            many ways, Lapid sounded  moderate approach to the  flame  out  after  early  suc-     nett  a move that was seen  security,” it said.
            like  he  was  beginning  his  Palestinians.              cess.                        by  many  as  selfless  and  As caretaker prime minister,
            next campaign.               Unlike the right-wing parties  But  Lapid  managed  to  re-  statesmanlike.  Lapid  took  he is unlikely to launch any
            “Even  if  we  are  going  to  that  dominate  Israel’s  po-  invent  himself.  He  formed  on the post of foreign min-  major  military  operations
            elections  in  a  few  months,  litical  system,  Lapid  favors  an alliance with former mili-  ister.              or  bold  peace  initiatives
            the challenges we face will  peace  talks  leading  to  an  tary chief Benny Gantz that  The   coalition   members  with  the  Palestinians.  If  La-
            not wait,” he said, pointing  eventual two-state solution  came  close  to  toppling  Li-  spanned the Israeli political  pid  can  keep  things  quiet
            to Israel’s high cost of living  with  the  Palestinians,  al-  kud  in  three  consecutive  spectrum, with little binding  and  avoid  controversy,  he
            and  security  challenges  in  though it’s unclear if he will  elections.              them together beyond op-     could  be  well-positioned
            Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.      ever have the kind of man-   Those elections, focused on  position to Netanyahu. The  for the next election.
            In  a  swipe  at  Netanyahu,  date needed to engage in  Netanyahu’s  divisive  per-    government  made  history  “Lapid has to work now at
            who  is  on  trial  for  corrup-  such a process.         sonality  and  fitness  to  rule,  by being the first to include  looking  prime  ministerial,”
            tion charges, he vowed to  In 2013, he led his new Yesh  all  ended  inconclusively.  an Arab party.                wrote Anshel Pfeffer, a col-
            “stand  against  the  forces  Atid  party  to  a  surprisingly  Moving  to  end  the  dead-  The  coalition  got  off  to  a  umnist at the Haaretz daily.
            threatening  to  turn  Israel  strong  showing  in  parlia-  lock,  Gantz  briefly  joined  strong start  passing the first  “His  new  post,  from  next
            into   a    nondemocratic  mentary  elections.  Yesh  forces  with  Netanyahu  in  national  budget  in  several  week  on,  as  interim  prime
            country.”  Netanyahu,  be-   Atid finished as the second-  2020  leaving Lapid as op-  years, navigating a pair of  minister is his greatest asset
            lieving  he  is  the  victim  of  largest party, with 19 seats  position leader and a vocal  coronavirus waves and im-  going into the election.”q
            a  political  witch  hunt,  has  in  the  120-member  parlia-  government critic.      proving  relations  with  the
            made  clear  he  intends  to  ment.                       When  the  country  went  U.S. and Arab allies.
            take on the country’s legal  Lapid   became     finance  back  to  the  polls  in  early  Ultimately,  ideological  dif-
            and  law-enforcement  es-    minister,  a  difficult  and  of-  2021, Yesh Atid once again  ferences  caused  it  to  un-
            tablishment if he returns to  ten  thankless  task.  While  surged  and  emerged  as  ravel.
            power.                       marking  some  successes,  the second-largest party in  Parliament     is   expected
            A former author, columnist,  his  key  promises  of  lower-  parliament.               to  dissolve  itself  in  a  series
            news  anchor,  bank  pitch-  ing  the  cost  of  living  and  In a stroke of creative diplo-  of  votes  over  the  coming
            man  and  amateur  boxer,  bringing     down    housing  macy  and  political  savvy,  days.  Once  that  happens,
            Lapid  left  a  successful  ca-  prices failed to materialize.  Lapid  cobbled  together  a  Lapid  takes  over  as  care-
            reer  as  a  media  personal-  Netanyahu eventually fired  new  coalition  that  pushed  taker  prime  minister  until
            ity  to  enter  politics  in  2012  him for insubordination.  Netanyahu  into  the  oppo-  elections in October or No-  facebook.com/arubatoday/
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