From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
Yesh Atid postpones first ever primaries amid war
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
The Yesh Atid party is postponing its primary election for the party leadership due to the ongoing war with Gaza and the broader threats to Israel’s borders.
The party, founded by its current leader Yair Lapid in 2012, has never yet held a primary election but had scheduled a leadership contest for December.
Yesh Atid MK Ram Ben Barak had been expected to run against Lapid, who has served as interim prime minister, foreign minister, and finance minister, and is currently the opposition leader.
The party did not formally announce it was postponing the primary election but a Yesh Atid source confirms it was being pushed off.
Yesh Atid intended to hold a leadership primary last year, but canceled when Lapid ended up being the only candidate running.
The Times of Israel Community.