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Israel Elections 2026

Lapid Reveals Yesh Atid's Election Slate

Opposition leader announces top ten candidates as party prepares to merge with Naftali Bennett's faction in joint electoral list

Bennett and Lapid join forces

Opposition leader Yair Lapid announced Saturday night the lineup of candidates his Yesh Atid party will field in Israel's next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2026.

The list will be integrated into a joint slate with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's faction, with Yesh Atid representatives expected to comprise approximately 40% of the combined ticket. Final placement on the merged list is set to be published Sunday, with candidate registration closing Tuesday.

Lapid framed the roster as part of what he called a "rebuilding" effort and generational transition within the party. "If we want to fix the country, there's no better way than empowering these people," he wrote. "They're experienced, they're tough, they know how to work, they're people who get things done."

Lapid himself will occupy the top position on the list. The former prime minister, alternate prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister will be followed in second place by Meirav Ben-Ari, a nine-year Knesset veteran who previously chaired the Internal Security Committee and coordinated opposition faction work in the most recent parliament.

Third place goes to Noam Tibon, a reserve brigadier general who formerly commanded the IDF's Northern Corps and the Judea and Samaria Division. Making his first run for Knesset with Yesh Atid, Tibon arrived in the Gaza border communities on October 7 and participated in combat operations near Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

Meirav ben Ari
Meirav ben Ari (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Fourth on the list is Merav Cohen, former minister for social equality and a seven-year Knesset member who chaired the Committee for the Advancement of Women's Status in the last parliament.

Fifth place goes to Ram Ben-Barak, former deputy director of the Mossad intelligence agency and chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who has served in the Knesset for approximately seven years.

Sixth is Naor Shiri, a member of the Finance Committee and National Security Committee and former deputy mayor of Hod Hasharon. Shiri was involved in recent Knesset battles over budget transfers and legislation supporting reservist families.

Seventh place goes to Vladimir Beliak, a Finance Committee member with expertise in economics and taxation who worked on budget issues, reservist affairs and immigrant absorption.

Eighth is Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu, a seven-year Knesset veteran who served as chair of both the environmental caucus and LGBTQ caucus.

Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid (Chaim Goldberg / Flash90)

Ninth place goes to Yasmin Sacks-Friedman, a Knesset member from Beersheba and former city council member who focused on welfare, public housing and animal rights.

Rounding out the top ten is Neta Attias, who has managed the Yesh Atid faction for the past decade, coordinating the party's work both in coalition and opposition. Attias, a resident of Ashkelon, will be running for Knesset for the first time.

The announcement comes after an unprecedented wave of departures from the party in recent weeks, including former minister Karin Elharrar, who ended her 14-year tenure with the party, and founding members Meir Cohen and Miki Levy, who decided not to seek reelection. Additionally, Knesset members Elazar Stern and Yoav Segalovitz chose to continue their political careers in other frameworks.

The upheaval drew sharp criticism from political rivals but also staunch defense from Lapid loyalists. Ben-Ari defended the party leadership in a pointed statement targeting media outlets and the governing coalition. "The founding generation of Yesh Atid made a courageous decision," she wrote. "Outstanding Knesset members who held many positions decided it was time to refresh the ranks. They did so with heavy but whole hearts, for our sake, because they understood the magnitude of the hour."

She contrasted her party's members with coalition lawmakers: "There are Knesset members who sit for years, cut deals and enslave themselves to a leader, just to avoid real life. Power has turned them into has-beens, where are they compared to our MKs?" Beliak also addressed the departures and celebratory reactions from the right-wing camp. "This is a complex week for Yesh Atid, for us as Yesh Atid Knesset members, for activists and supporters," he wrote. "We're a team, we're friends, we're family, and therefore every parting is an arrow to the heart. But that's exactly what distinguishes us and makes us unique."

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