Lapid calls shots as new Israeli government shapes foreign policy

Nine months after the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid took off July 29 for a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates. Heading a senior delegation from the Foreign Ministry, Lapid inaugurated the Israeli Embassy in Abu Dhabi — an event originally planned by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu, as one of the architects of the Abraham Accords, had planned to use the inauguration in his election campaign, but the ceremony was pushed back several times.

Now Lapid has a leadership position and is more the government’s strong man than Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. He has succeeded in positioning himself as the leader of Israel’s center-left and it will serve him well in the coming years.