While the ballots have yet to open and not a single vote has been cast as of yet, one thing can already be said: Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has won. Not these elections necessarily, but the battle of Israeli politics.
While it is doubtful Lapid will be anything but the opposition leader in the 24th Knesset, it can be safely stated that in his nine years in politics, Lapid has been able to crack the demanding, predatory and brutal Israeli political system.
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Political parties sprout in Israel left and right – figuratively and literally – and some of them even manage to take the House – Ariel Sharon's Kadima, later led by Ehud Olmert, was one of them, and at its peak, it was the largest party in Israel.
Lapid's father, Yosef "Tommy" Lapid, headed the secular-liberal Shinui party from 1999 to 2006. At its best, Shinui won 15 seats, leaving the Haredi parties to linger on the benches of the opposition. Over the past few elections, Blue and White rose to stardom, and just a few years back Kulanu's star shined bright.
What they all had in common is simple: once their 15 minutes of fame had faded – so did they.
This is not the case of Yesh Atid. Yair Lapid party is emerging as a true political force. It has brick-and-mortar institutions, branches, activists, and an electoral base that produces actual results and has weathered political disappointments well.
In addition, Lapid has suffered several humiliating personal blows: Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who Lapid trusted, stabbed him in the back by joining a Likud-led national unity government. Ofer Shelah, his best friend for 30 years and a political confidant from the get-go, turned against him with virulent animosity, and even Telem leader Moshe Ya'alon, just up and left one day.
However, Lapid is still standing. Unlike Olmet, Tzipi Livni, Gantz, and Kahlon, he has been able to drop anchor in Israeli politics. Ya'alon and Shelah had a chance to be senior members – numbers two and three – is the second-biggest party in Israel but now, they will be watching the exit polls as home, in their slippers.
How did Lapid do it? mostly by learning from his mistakes. He no longer makes arrogant statements like "I will be prime minister," nor does he bother with petty political squabbling. Instead, he wished his former political allies "the best of luck going forward" and kept his focus, exercising patience, constantly meeting with supporters and activists on the ground, further carving out clear ideology and policies, and honing his resolve.
The bottom line is that even if Lapid loses this election campaign, it can still be said that he won.
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