Yair Lapid Says the World Misunderstands Israel

In this moment, I wanted to talk to one of Netanyahu’s most vocal critics inside Israel: Yair Lapid. Lapid is the official leader of the Israeli opposition. He’s a former journalist, TV host and actor who entered Israeli politics over a decade ago, founding a centrist party called Yesh Atid. He briefly became prime minister of Israel in 2022 — at the time, The Atlantic deemed him “the man who could end the Netanyahu era” — and he remains a member of the Knesset. After Oct. 7, he refused to join Netanyahu’s war cabinet. He has called for new elections to replace the current government. And he has publicly endorsed a two-state solution — something Netanyahu has actively worked against.