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Yair Lapid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, surrounded by supporters, during an election campaign tour in Ashdod, September 29, 2026. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)
Ben Sales
Analysis
Ben Sales
Will the flydubai attack save Netanyahu’s struggling campaign?
The PM, with his eye for optics, is leveraging the power of incumbency to link himself with the passengers' heroism — and suggest that Israel is in too much danger to take a risk on someone new
A flydubai plane takes off from Ben Gurion airport on September 30, 2026. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
October 4, 2026, 4:59 pm
Despite years of warnings, Transportation Ministry, required to check foreign flights, hasn’t done so
Former top ministry official blames Minister Regev for flydubai incident, but she denies responsibility; regional sources say Israel raised no red flags over crew
By Ariela Karmel and Lazar Berman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Yaniv Hayun, one of the Israelis who helped subdue a flydubai copilot who allegedly sought to crash a plane full of Israelis, on the passengers' return to Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
October 1, 2026, 8:11 pm
Netanyahu turns the flydubai near-disaster into a perfect campaign prop
As the PM spins a thwarted attack to project strength and potentially boost his poll ratings, the prospect arises of a rotation agreement with Eisenkot to break the looming electoral deadlock
By Tal Schneider
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with Yaniv Hayun, one of the Israelis who helped subdue a flydubai copilot who allegedly sought to crash a plane full of Israelis, on the passengers' return to Ben Gurion Airport on September 30, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
September 30, 2026, 11:26 pm
Flydubai attack becomes election flashpoint as opponents draw Oct. 7 parallels
Government allies say attack vindicates Netanyahu’s warnings of pre-vote attacks; opposition says it instead recalls state’s security failures, civilians forced to fend for themselves
By Ariela Karmel
This composite image shows Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (L) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaking in video statements they each released on September 29, 2026. (Screenshot via Yair Lapid's X account, Screenshot/Ma’ayan Toaf/GPO)
September 29, 2026, 8:43 pm
Netanyahu claims indications of attack plot by ‘enemies’ ahead of election; Lapid, briefed, derides him
Opposition leader says ‘no reason to put the public in a panic’ after receiving update from PM in wake of latter’s vague announcement, says Netanyahu should ‘draft the 15,000 Haredim the IDF needs’ if he’s so worried about security
By Lazar Berman, Nava Freiberg and ToI Staff
The change bloc leaders: Avigdor Liberman, Yair Golan, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid, Naftali Bennett (Official campaign photos, combo created by The Times of Israel)
September 28, 2026, 5:09 pm
By refusing to name a leader, the anti-Netanyahu ‘change bloc’ is making a fatal mistake
An intended reconciliation meeting exposed a critical flaw. In declining to rally behind Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition is inviting relentless, deeply damaging internal rivalry
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Left to right: Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman meet at Lapid's Tel Aviv home, September 26, 2026. (Lihi Lapid)
September 27, 2026, 12:03 am
‘It is our duty to work together’: Opposition chiefs meet, vow to do everything to form ‘a government of repair’
Declaration signed by Eisenkot, Bennett, Lapid, Liberman and Golan says parties are ‘united and determined’ to win ‘crucial elections’; they pledge not to attack each other
By ToI Staff
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, meets Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in his office on June 17, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/ GPO/ File)
September 14, 2026, 9:16 pm
Lapid-Netanyahu meeting said to ‘blow up’ over clash on increasing IDF’s budget
Opposition leader says he’ll only support move if coalition diverts funds from ‘Haredi draft evasion’; Likud accuses him of ‘abandoning Israel’s security’ to play politics
By Lazar Berman and Emanuel Fabian
Yesh Atid party chair MK Yair Lapid at a faction meeting in the Knesset, June 29, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
September 7, 2026, 4:47 pm
With his own hands, Yair Lapid dismantled his life’s work
Facing dismal polls and amid a desperate merger with Naftali Bennett, the centrist leader abruptly ended the careers of almost 20 sitting Yesh Atid lawmakers
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Former Israeli Prime Minister and Together (B'Yachad) party chairman Naftali Bennett, together with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and party members in Tel Aviv, present the party’s candidate list ahead of the upcoming general elections, September 6, 2026. (Flash90)
September 7, 2026, 4:04 pm
Hoping to put wind back in sails, B’Yachad tacks toward liberal-Zionist center
Unveiling slate at high-energy rally, Bennett’s party bets roster of experienced ‘doers’ and promises of universal service, Oct. 7 inquiry can win back support without relying on the right
By Ariela Karmel
L: Former prime minister Naftali Bennett at a B'Yachad party event in Tel Aviv, September 6, 2026. R: Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman at a party event in Tel Aviv, September 6, 2026. (Flash90, Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
September 6, 2026, 11:59 pm
Anti-Netanyahu leaders Bennett and Liberman unveil their parties’ Knesset election slates
B’Yachad head Bennett vows to ‘fix Israel’ with list of former MKs, ministers and senior civil servants; Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu slate boasts ex-Likud members as he vies for leadership, swipes at Eisenkot
By Ariela Karmel, Stav Levaton and ToI Staff
Yesh Atid’s 2026 slate (top row, left to right): 1. Yair Lapid, 2. Merav Ben Ari, 3. Noam Tibon, 4. Meirav Cohen, 5. Ram Ben Barak; (middle row) 6. Naor Shiri, 7. Vladimir Beliak, 8. Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu, 9. Yasmin Sacks-Fridman, 10. Neta Attias; (bottom row) 11. Moshe Turpaz, 12. Simon Davidson, 13. Shelly Tal Meron, 14. Roni Fantanesh Malkai, 15. Mati Sarfatti Harcavi. (Yahav Trudler)
September 5, 2026, 10:28 pm
Lapid unveils Yesh Atid lineup for B’Yachad electoral slate
Merav Ben-Ari, Noam Tibon, Meirav Cohen and Ram Ben Barak lead party’s list; Yesh Atid gets 4 of joint ticket’s top 10 spots
By Tal Schneider and ToI Staff
Clockwise from top left: Yesh Atid MKs Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Debbie Biton and Tatiana Mazarsky, who resigned from the party ahead of the 2026 election. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90, Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
September 2, 2026, 10:33 pm
Wave of Yesh Atid MKs quit election run as joint slate with Bennett falters in polls
5 MKs, including 3 founding members, vow to remain in the party but won’t run in election; top party officials said to say Bennett should ditch run for PM, merge under Eisenkot
By ToI Staff and Ariela Karmel
Finance Minister and head of the Religious Zionist party Bezalel Smotrich attends the Religious Zionism party primary ahead of the upcoming general election, in Jerusalem, July 26, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
August 31, 2026, 1:10 pm
Smotrich lambastes IDF for jailing soldiers who wouldn’t serve with female medic
Opposition leaders fume at far-right finance minister, accuse him of harming the IDF with claim the army is ‘antagonizing the public that serves and contributes the most’
By ToI Staff
Ofer Winter at the launch of his new People of Israel party in Jerusalem, August 25, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
August 26, 2026, 4:43 pm
Ofer Winter’s disciplined political launch threatens to upend the right-wing bloc
The former IDF general’s new People of Israel party unveiled a surprisingly diverse slate on Tuesday, openly challenging Netanyahu and refusing to back down under fire
By Shalom Yerushalmi
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett addresses a 'security concept conference' held by his B’Yachad party, August 19, 2026. (Elad Gutman)
August 19, 2026, 7:53 pm
Bennett: Israel should strike Iran to retaliate for Hezbollah attacks
B’Yachad chief accuses PM of tearing ‘Israeli society to shreds’ at party conference. Lapid calls to repair Israel’s ‘bipartisan status’ in US, strengthen ties with Diaspora Jews
By Sam Sokol
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