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Israeli centrist looks to profit from Netanyahu’s troubles

Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid is looking to collect Knesset seats on the right as police investigations close in on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Yair Lapid (C), leader of the centrist Yesh Atid party, is surrounded by police as he visits the scene of what Israeli police said was a  stabbing attack outside the Lion's Gate of Jerusalem's Old City October 12, 2015. A border policeman shot dead a Palestinian who police said tried to stab him, according to Israeli police. The account was disputed by a Palestinian passerby, who said he witnessed the incident and saw no knife. REUTERS/Ammar Awad  - RTS449S
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s July 23 decision to remove the metal detectors placed at the entrance to the Temple Mount did not manage to completely defuse the crisis in regard to the Palestinians and the Muslim world. Tension still lingered in the air July 31 as the chairman of Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, and members of his faction toured the high-friction areas surrounding Jerusalem with Border Patrol officers. His Facebook post that day oozed with patriotism and a statesmanly vibe, featuring images of him standing beside Border Patrol members.

Just a day earlier, after convicted Hebron shooter Elor Azaria's appeal was rejected, the Yesh Atid chairman declared his support for the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, Gadi Eizenkot, and the military court “for standing firm on behalf of the IDF's values.”

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