Yair Lapid Unveils Yesh Atid Party List Following Member Departures

Yesh Atid party chairman Yair Lapid has announced his party's updated list of candidates for the upcoming elections, integrating members from the "Bechud" party, following a turbulent week marked by the departure of several Knesset members and senior party officials. MK Merav Ben Ari has been placed second on the list, immediately after Lapid. Ben Ari, 50, has served as a Knesset member for nine years and currently coordinates opposition factions in the Knesset. She previously chaired the Committee on Interior Affairs and was recognized for her legislative work protecting women and victims of assault.

In third place is retired Major General Noam Tibon, 64, a former combatant and commander in Sayeret Matkal, brigade commander of the Nahal Brigade, and commander of the Northern Corps. On October 7th, he joined efforts in the Gaza envelope, rescuing survivors from the Nova music festival and combatants, and participated in the battle to liberate Kibbutz Nirim. He later led the "Generals Project" to adopt Gaza envelope communities and advocated for a state commission of inquiry.

MK Merav Cohen, 43, secured the fourth position. She has served in the Knesset for seven years, previously as Minister for Social Equality, and currently chairs the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women. Her work has focused on poverty reduction, aid for the elderly, and women's rights.

Rounding out the top five is MK Ram Ben Barak, 68, former deputy head of the Mossad and director-general of the Ministry of Intelligence and Strategic Affairs. After nearly 30 years in the Mossad, he chaired the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and opposed the coalition's conscription laws in the previous Knesset.

Other candidates in the top ten include Naor Shiri (sixth), Vladimir Beliak (seventh), Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (eighth), Yasmin Sax Friedman (ninth), and Neta Atias (tenth), who has managed the Yesh Atid faction for the past decade. The party stated that 40% of the top ten are women. Further down the list are Moshe "Kinley" Tor-Paz (eleventh), Simone Davidson (twelfth), Shelly Tal Miron (thirteenth), Roni Pentanash Malkai (fourteenth), and Mati Tzreffi Harkavi (fifteenth).

Lapid addressed the recent upheaval, stating in a message to party activists, "If we want to fix the country, there is no better way than to empower these people. They are experienced, they are tough, they know how to work, they are doers, their hearts are in the right place." He added, "Winning teams know how to reinvent themselves. Not only did we show the people of Israel that it can be done differently, but we also ensured this week that we will be part of the country's leadership for many years to come."