Yesh Atid revels in avoiding ‘us or them’ talk

It’s still empty at Hangar 11 in the Tel Aviv Port, where Yesh Atid will be gathering at 10 p.m., and there’s a faint scent of beer from the parties that are held here most nights.

Yet Yair Zivan, who handles international media for the centrist party, says he’s sure the party atmosphere will prevail tonight.

“We had 15,000 activists [canvassing] across the country today, from north to south,” Zivan says. “There was almost no voting booth without someone there, we’ve spoken to hundreds of thousands of people.”

Now, in the final moments before the polls close, activists are munching on McDonald’s fries and nervously smoking cigarettes.

“We’ve run the most positive campaign of all the parties, with a real focus on policy,” Zivan says. “We’re trying to raise the level of conversation past ‘us or them,’ and whatever happens tonight, Yesh Atid is a party for the long term.”

— Jessica Steinberg