Do we like Yair Lapid?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Strong, repeated record on LGBTQ+ equality, one sour comment about a minister's looks, and Gaza and Iran positions that readers will weigh differently.
Lapid is Israeli political royalty of a media sort. Born in Tel Aviv in 1963, he's the son of a journalist-turned-justice-minister and a novelist and playwright. He cut his teeth in the army magazine, wrote for Maariv, then hosted TV talk shows from 1991 before founding the centrist Yesh Atid party in 2012.
He went on to be finance minister, then foreign minister, and then prime minister for a few months in 2022 under a rotation deal with Bennett. Since then he has been opposition leader. Reporting describes the party as secular, centrist and liberal, and he has backed a two-state solution and LGBTQ+ rights.
The stoush that tells you most about his temper came in March 2025. In an interview with a comedian he said of minister Orit Strock: “I look at Orit Strock. Just for that, I deserve a raise.” Smotrich demanded an apology, and Ben-Gvir accused him of harming women. Lapid said he meant her conduct, not her appearance, and didn't apologise. It's a cheap line, not a pattern, but it's a stain.
On the harm check, the record we found is on the right side. At the June 2026 Jerusalem Pride rally he told the government the community is here to stay, and he's promised legislation on equal rights for every couple within 100 days. He also says Israel needs a parallel civil marriage option for anyone who wants it. The catch is his new partner Bennett, who has historically opposed same-sex marriage but said in April his government would advance it.
The recent drama is the Bennett merger. Lapid has handed the lead to Bennett, saying he's a right-wing politician, but an honest one, and that they trust each other. He's also been loud on Iran, calling the April US-Iran ceasefire a political disaster. Where you land on that depends on whether you read it as a fair hit on Netanyahu or as election-season fury.
Gaps: this is a politician's card, not a saint's. We found no court rulings against him and no sourced reports of him mistreating staff, but we didn't find a deep voting record or a fact-check scorecard. His Gaza and Iran positions are contested and not something this page can settle for you.