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Will one slip of the tongue cost this Israeli opposition figure the premiership?

Opposition party Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid has been carefully managing his campaign — aiming at the prime minister's seat — until making a first strategic mistake that might cost him dearly.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid attends a women's committee convention in Tel Aviv March 1, 2015. The era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ending, with Israeli voters clearly more concerned about economic and social issues than about security or fears over Iran, a leading election candidate said on Monday. Lapid, a telegenic former news anchor and TV host, leads the centrist, secular Yesh Atid party ("There's a Future"), which emerged out of the cost-of-living protests that swept Israel in 2011. Picture
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Ever since Yesh Atid crashed in the March 2015 election, dropping to just 11 seats, the party’s founder and chairman Yair Lapid proved that he understands political campaigns.

He showed talent in flipping off the opposition and succeeded in stealing the limelight from its official leader, Knesset member Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Camp. Lapid kept to a systematic strategy, which should have brought him to the prime minister’s office. This includes growing closer to the ultra-Orthodox and even playing up to them — because in Israel in 2016, there is no way to be prime minister without their support. It means winking at the right and distancing himself from any left-wing indicators — because in Israel in 2016, public sentiment is aligned with the nationalist right. And it involves embracing a stately (mainstream) approach on security and diplomatic issues — because the public knows how to appreciate a leader who does not attack the prime minister during hard times.

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