Who is Yair Lapid?

Yair Lapid is an Israeli politician and former journalist presently serving as the Prime Minister of Israel. Yair previously served as Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2021 to 2022.

The Israel PM also serves as the chairman of the centrist Yesh Atid, having previously served as Leader of the Opposition from 2020 to 2021 and as Minister of Finance from 2013 to 2014.

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Born on November 5, 1963, Lapid was an author, TV presenter and news anchor. The centrist Yesh Atid party, which he founded, became the second-largest party in the Knesset by winning 19 seats in its first legislative election in 2013.

From 2013 to 2014, following his coalition agreement with Likud, Lapid served as Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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In 2013, Lapid ranked first on the list of the “Most Influential Jews in the World” by The Jerusalem Post. He was also recognised in 2013 as one of the leading Foreign Policy Global Thinkers, and ranked as one of Time magazine’s 100 “Most Influential People in the World”.

He serves on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, and the Sub-Committee on Intelligence and the Security Services.

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On May 17, 2020, Lapid became the Leader of the Opposition, after the thirty-fifth government of Israel was sworn in. On May 5, 2021, he began talks with other parties to try to form a coalition government.

On June 2, 2021, Lapid informed Israeli President Reuven Rivlin that he had agreed to a rotation government with Naftali Bennett and was prepared to replace the incumbent prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The new government was sworn in on June 13, 2021.