Lapid Considers New Candidate Amid Party Exodus

Opposition leader Yair Lapid is reportedly considering placing Neta Attias, the operations manager for his Yesh Atid party, within the second tier of the party's electoral list. This move comes amid a wave of departures from the party, with several Knesset members, both veteran and newer, announcing they will not seek re-election.

Notable figures who have left or announced they are not running include Yoav Segalovitz, who joined Ra'am; Elazar Stern, who moved to Gadi Eisenkot's party; Meir Cohen, who will not run but was appointed chairman of the Yesh Atid conference; Mickey Levy, who announced his retirement from politics; and Debi Biton, Tatyana Mazaraki, Ron Katz, Idan Roll, and Boaz Toporovsky, who also announced departures or non-candidacy.

Lapid has publicly thanked departing members, stating in a tweet following Mickey Levy's announcement that "the list must be led by the next generation of the party." Major General (res.) Noam Tibon is also expected to join the list.

Meanwhile, discussions continue within the "Change Bloc" regarding a potential merger between Gadi Eisenkot's party and the "Together" party, led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. While still considered a long shot, the bloc is daily polling the potential impact of such a union, which could significantly influence the election's outcome and potentially prevent Avigdor Lieberman from demanding the premiership with a smaller faction.

However, past collaborations between Lapid and Bennett have led to a decline in poll numbers for both, and there are concerns that Lapid's or other figures' presence on a joint list could alienate Eisenkot's potential voters. The likelihood of this merger proceeding remains low, but the option is under ongoing review.