Israel’s Lapid back in race to lead Israel

The rapid dismantling of the Blue and White party last week was intended to relaunch the political brand “Yair Lapid.’’ In fact, even before the original Blue and White party gave up the ghost, Lapid was quick to launch an aggressive campaign against his former partners. His Twitter account fired off a rapid series of opposition tweets about Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, saying things like “Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight and went crawling into the government.” Ever since then, he has continued firing off tweets along those same lines. The more time passes, the clearer it seems that Lapid was eager to put an end to his partnership with Gantz and win back his independence.

The chairman of Yesh Atid (one of the three partners within the Blue and White alliance) is one of Israel’s most focused and diligent politicians, carefully planning his every move. And so, his most recent moves were all part of a larger master plan. He was ready for the impending explosion in the Blue and White “cockpit” (leadership) and contributed in a significant way to its dismantling. Since the breakup, it actually seems as if he has returned to his natural element and is enjoying every minute of his old new life.