Yair Lapid Reveals Lawsuit Over False Rumors, Shares Personal Secret
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Opposition leader Yair Lapid revealed his wife won a NIS 40,000 lawsuit over false online rumors and shared a personal secret in a Channel 13 interview. Lapid is running on a joint list with former PM Naftali Bennett for the upcoming Knesset elections. Recent polls show their "change bloc" leading Netanyahu's bloc by 2 to 6 seats. The joint list's top candidates have been announced, and Gadi Eisenkot declined to join.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yair Lapid's wife won a NIS 40,000 lawsuit over false rumors about her religion.
- Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett formed a joint list for the upcoming Knesset elections.
- Recent polls indicate the "change bloc" has a lead over the Netanyahu bloc.
- Lapid revealed a personal secret: "I'm not actually short."
- Gadi Eisenkot declined an offer to join the joint "Bamah" list.
Yair Lapid, the Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of the Yesh Atid party, discussed a libel suit filed by his wife, Lia Lapid, during a Channel 13 interview. The lawsuit was initiated after false rumors spread online claiming Lia Lapid was Christian, accompanied by doctored images of the couple with crosses. "She sued them and we received 40,000 shekels," Lapid stated, humorously thanking the "villains" for a lavish family meal funded by the settlement. Lapid also revealed a personal secret when asked, smiling and saying, "I'm not actually short."
Lapid's interview comes as parties gear up for the upcoming 26th Knesset elections, expected on October 27. He has joined forces with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to form a joint list named "Bamah" (Together), aiming to unseat the current Netanyahu government. The "Bamah" party is described as a center-right Israeli party, formed in April 2026 by the merger of Bennett's "Bennett 2026" and Lapid's "Yesh Atid." The list composition indicates a significant allocation of top spots for Yesh Atid members.
The joint list's top ten candidates include Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Keren Turner, Merav Ben Ari, Liran Avishar Ben-Horin, Noam Tibon, Michal Negri, Eitan Ginzburg, Merav Cohen, and Yonatan Shilo. Bennett will serve as the list's chairman, with Lapid in the second position. The duo had invited Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yash!" party, to join their list, with Lapid even offering to take third place. However, Eisenkot ultimately declined their offer.
Recent polls from Israel's leading television channels (11, 12, and 13) suggest that the "change bloc," which includes "Bamah," holds a lead of 2 to 6 seats over the Netanyahu bloc. Specifically, Channel 12's poll shows the change bloc with 56 seats versus 50 for Netanyahu's bloc, while Channel 13's poll indicates 54 seats to 50. Kan News reports a closer race, with the change bloc at 52 seats and the right-wing bloc at 50. Arab parties are projected to win between 14 and 16 seats across these polls.