Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid, chairman of the Yesh Atid Party, denounced Yair Golan, who leads The Democrats Party, as a “radical leftist” in an internal Zoom meeting, local media reported Sunday.
Golan is “getting mandates because he’s a general, but right after the primary, everyone will realize this is a radical left-wing party,” Lapid reportedly told party members in the leaked Yesh Atid Zoom call, referencing his political rival’s status as a major general in the Israel Defense Forces reserves.
The recording of the call, which included Lapid and party activists, was aired by Israel’s Channel 12 News on Sunday night.
“We are protesting because the government is endangering the State of Israel—but we don’t think the solution is to jump on a water cannon, like Naama Lazimi,” he said of The Democrats lawmaker who has often clashed with police at anti-government rallies.
Lapid acknowledged that he was unable to bring down the conservative coalition government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because of its majority in the 120-member Knesset, lamenting: “It’s 68 against 52.”
The Yesh Atid chairman said that his party carried out a “very, very extensive” poll showing that he should campaign on economic issues and the cost of living in order to “bring the Israeli center back to us.”
Accusing Golan of trying to associate Yesh Atid with the left, Lapid declared, “We are a party of the center—this is the pool of 35 to 37 seats.”
In a response to Channel 12 News, Yesh Atid said that while it maintains “good and close” relations with Golan and other fellow opposition members, “the undeniable fact is that only Yesh Atid has the grassroots, experience and people needed to form a liberal national government.
“It’s always possible to take a few quotes out of a long and hopeful meeting attended by hundreds of people,” the party stated, adding, “Yesh Atid is a national centrist party and a party of the middle class.”
According to a Direct Polls survey published by Israel’s Channel 14 News channel on May 15, if elections were held today, The Democrats would win 16 Knesset seats, while Yesh Atid would receive five.
According to the Direct Polls survey, Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party would take the lead with 34 seats in the parliament, and his right-wing and religious allies would win another 30.
The Likud has held 32 seats since the November 2022 election, and its coalition partners have another 32. The next vote must be held by Oct. 27, 2026.