New politician puts his money on the ‘future’

The new political party led by television personality Yair Lapid will be  called “Atid” (Future). Lapid recently appointed a party spokeswoman and he continues to put together a staff, recruiting volunteers via social networks.

A poll released in March indicated that Lapid would win 12 Knesset seats in elections, putting him on roughly equal footing with established right-wing political parties Israel Beiteinu and Shas and well ahead of left-wing Labor and Meretz. Lapid has indicated that if elected to the Knesset he would like to be appointed education minister, although he would also be willing to accept the Foreign Affairs portfolio.

Lapid has placed the fight against political corruption and the disproportionate power of business tycoons, as well as opposition to religious coercion by ultra-Orthodox groups, at the center of his campaign.

The novice politician has indicated that he is much more interested in social policy – and especially education policy — than in defense-related issues. “The government needs to invest much more in education, especially hi-tech education, which is the only investment that actually pays for itself,” Lapid said.

Without better education, he said, Israel did not have a chance to compete in the coming decades against other countries. Other issues Lapid says he plans to tackle include affordable housing, better health care and ensuring that the periphery was included in Israel’s hi-tech revolution.