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Ya’alon breaks from Lapid’s party ahead of Israeli elections

Telem and Yesh Atid were originally members of Blue and White, but left the bloc when Benny Gantz decided to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Telem Party faction head Moshe Ya'alon at a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Efrat on Dec. 19, 2020. Photo by Gershon Elinson/Flash90.
Telem Party faction head Moshe Ya’alon at a protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Efrat on Dec. 19, 2020. Photo by Gershon Elinson/Flash90.

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has decided to run separately from Yesh Atid in the next election, and his Telem Party will attempt an independent bid, according to multiple media reports on Saturday.

Telem and Yesh Atid were original members of Blue and White, but broke with it when leader Benny Gantz decided to join Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Yesh Atid chairman and opposition leader Yair Lapid confirmed that Ya’alon would not be running with his party, tweeting: “I value and respect [him] very much and wish him luck.”

It is unclear whether Telem would be able to pass the four-seat electoral threshold independently. During the 2020 elections, a similar bid was projected to fail.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

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