The earthquake that hit Yesh Atid, the impenetrable party - analysis
Shelah never liked key decisions Lapid made like forming a political bond with Naftali Bennett in 2013, moving rightward and making gestures to Orthodox voters.
By GIL HOFFMANBlue and White MK Yair Lapid is seen at the 'Maariv' Conference.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)Yair Lapid and Ofer Shelah had been close friends for 30 years and trusted political partners for eight, both of which are rare accomplishments.But according to sources in Yesh Atid, behind the scenes, Shelah grew increasingly impatient and frustrated in Lapid’s shadow.He increasingly viewed his friend and boss as building his own persona at the expense of the ideology that is so dear to Shelah, who has been the ideologue in the party since its inception.Shelah never liked key decisions Lapid made like forming a political bond with Naftali Bennett in 2013, moving rightward and making gestures to Orthodox voters, such as putting on a tallit at the Western Wall.The anger spilled over in a lengthy meeting of the two men at Lapid’s home office in North Tel Aviv on Monday evening. There is memorabilia in that office from boxing, a sport both Lapid and Shelah enjoy.They had met there countless times before. But this time, Shelah came to demand that Lapid hold a leadership primary and vowed to run against him if he would let him.Lapid did not get back to Shelah, which he apparently interpreted as disrespectful. Shelah then made his announcement on social media, forcing Lapid to respond while in a live interview with an Arabic television station.Shelah’s announcement is nothing less than an earthquake in the party that is second to Likud in all the polls and provided its main alternative. Had he declared his request to run in a more polite manner without criticizing Lapid, it might not have been as big news.But instead, Shelah came out swinging, accusing Lapid of being unable to depose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wooing activists and MKs in Yesh Atid. He said he would remain in the party, even as he burned bridges making it all but impossible.Lapid has been trying since he entered politics to paint himself as the ultimate centrist. But first he lost his Right flank with the departures MKs Shai Piron, Dov Lipman, Aliza Lavie and Pnina Tamano-Shata, and now he is losing Shelah, who is his party’s left flank.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post shortly before his fateful meeting with Shelah, Lapid said he had made many mistakes in life but none of them twice. He saw the challenge from activist Ron Levental that destroyed his father Yosef Lapid’s Shinui Party and built bylaws to prevent it from happening in his own party.Yesh Atid was the party that always ran like clockwork, started events on time, stayed on message and avoided the glitches that affected so many other parties. The impression was that Yesh Atid was impenetrable.It was until Wednesday.
