From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 6, 2026
Lapid announces Segalovitz leaving Yesh Atid, amid reports he’ll join Ra’am in political shakeup
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Yair Lapid, chair of the centrist Yesh Atid party, announces that MK Yoav Segalovitz will be departing the party, a possible signal that the lawmaker will join the Ra’am faction in a political shakeup.
Recent reports have indicated that Segalovitz will move to Ra’am, making him the first-ever Jewish candidate on the Arab party’s slate. Ra’am, which is historically Islamist, has said it is departing from its religious roots to become a civic party.
Such a move may also increase Ra’am’s chances to join an anti-Netanyahu governing coalition, as the party did in 2021.
Lapid appears to welcome Segalovitz’s move, referring to him in friendly terms and noting his term of service as deputy internal security minister, when he fought crime in Arab Israeli communities.
“My friend Yoav Segalovitz announced today that he is concluding his role as a Knesset member for Yesh Atid,” Lapid says. “Across all of his years of service in Yesh Atid, in the Knesset and as deputy internal security minister, he acted with integrity and professionalism on behalf of Israel’s citizens and maintaining the rule of law.”
Lapid wishes Segalovitz success as he moves on from the party.
A Times of Israel poll released today found that if Segalovitz joins Ra’am, the party would win six seats, large enough to give the anti-Netanyahu bloc a majority in the Knesset if it joins the coalition.
The Times of Israel Community.