Israeli Opposition Leader's Party Places LGBTQ+ Advocate in Unlikely Knesset Seat
Opposition leader Yair Lapid announced that MK Yorai Lahav-Hertzanu will be placed in the eighth position on his Yesh Atid party's list for the upcoming Knesset elections. However, if the anticipated merger with Naftali Bennett's party proceeds as expected, Lahav-Hertzanu's position would shift to the lower half of the second ten, a spot considered unlikely to secure a seat based on current polls. This move has been criticized as a blow to LGBTQ+ representation in the Knesset, following a similar situation with Yair Golan's Democratic Party, which did not reserve a realistic spot for an LGBTQ+ candidate.
A survey conducted in June by the Israeli Institute for Gender and LGBTQ+ Research found that 63% of the community and its supporters believed Lahav-Hertzanu would best represent the LGBTQ+ community in the 25th Knesset, placing him first in preference. In response to criticism, Lapid stated, "If you are LGBTQ+ and want to see Yorai in the Knesset, you will have to fight with us." The LGBTQ+ Association responded, "The gay community is not a pool of votes in anyone's pocket... it is a choice" when a community representing about a tenth of the population has such limited representation.
The political futures of two other openly LGBTQ+ individuals remain uncertain. MK Eitan Ginzburg, who left Blue and White to join "Be together," is expected to have his placement revealed soon. Israel Zari, deputy mayor of Ramat Gan, is also slated to be included on the "Yashar!" party list led by Gadi Eisenkot, though his specific position has not yet been disclosed.
Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party is also expected to release its list soon. Despite Lieberman's public stance against religious coercion, his party has not historically included openly LGBTQ+ candidates, and his relationship with the community is reportedly strained. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the highest-ranking openly gay official, is expected to continue serving, but his relationship with LGBTQ+ organizations has deteriorated due to his support for the government's judicial overhaul plans, which critics argue undermine the Supreme Court's role in advancing LGBTQ+ rights.
