Allow me to deal with your points in the order you listed them; 1. If you're fine with the whitened teeth, the BMW (valued at $200,000 according to a recent television interview), the mansion and all the gear, that's perfectly fine. I'm sure many people will be wondering how such an individual even pretends to understand the plight of the middle class he claims to stand up for though. 2. Ah exercise, in his in-house personal gym no doubt. 3&4. I'm sick of secular draft dodgers too. Seems he's including those and the Arabs in his raft of new requests. Interesting. 5. I'm sick to death of people being different from me as well. I think I'll elect a politician intolerant enough to consider throwing those people in jail. Sadly, as it's a Jewish state, I'll just leave those notions for the pages of history (see: inquisitions, holocausts etc) 6. Lapid has a set of aims! Fantastic! Bravo! Bitterness - Why would I be bitter when Bibi is the PM and Lapid is on the cusp of compromising on all of aforementioned aims lest he achieve nothing, like his late father? Malice - I might be accused of having malice towards those who seek the destruction of the Jewish state. Hint: The creation of two terrorist states on our borders constitutes the destruction of the Jewish state. Sour Grapes - The right has 61 seats. They don't need Tel Aviv any more. Sorry.

How will a government be cobbled together if Lapid's red lines rule out both Shas AND Bayit HaYehudi?

I sense the smell of sweat on their words

How is the fact the haredi are legally not not obligated to serve actually AFFECT any non haredi? Why is it treated like the most important issue for government to concentrate on? Do we want government to dedicate most its LIMMITED Knesset time on the very complicated haredi draft issue which can't solve overnight and less time to issues like the economy & defense? I hope you are all willing to pay more taxes or have government cut spending on civilian projects to fund very expensive draft. The ones who don't want the haredi is the army. They are already trying to cut down on manpower to save money the last thing they want is thousands of haredi? Long term the army will also be paying for this draft because the more men in an army the less money to spend on equipment The haredi won't be happy about being forced to serve but the real losers will be taxpayers who have to pay for it.

"Peace talks with Palestinians" and the lunatic Israeli concessions, which follow them, are the source of almost ALL Israel's suffering. "Palestinians" are genocidal enemies, as the Nazis were. They need to be resoundingly defeated and transferred from our land. The Oslo "peace talks" alone cost Israel tens of thousands of maimed and murdered civilians. It is way past time to end the madness forever!

I saw reports saying in areas voters were saying they were voting for the party because of rabbi dov lipman. These voters weren't calling out for talks with palestinians.

No leverage because you had conservative rabbis on your ticket like dov lipman and droves of voters were telling reporters they voted for your party because of these anglo rabbis. Then after the election to talk about talks with palestinians when these voters weren't focused on that. Have it like the u.s system with a direct election for the prime minister and then a congress. Congress can deal with domestic issues and at least let the pm deal with national security issues. Here you have lapid meeting abbas and abbas now trying to dictate terms. If voters elect lapid pm in a direct election fine but stop with the games of conservative rabbis on ticket then after the election talk about talks with palestinians when your campaign issue was domestic issues. Change the stupid system.

Hesder students go to the recruitment offices when they turn 18, just like everyone else. Their schedule combines study and army service - and many end up being in the framework for more than the mandatory three years. There is no reason why this would be targeted by Lapid.

Drafting the Haredi and Arabs makes good sense. Not all will be accepted into combat. Many if not most aren't fit for it. They are fit for administrative positions and national service. Why do you object to these groups being told they must give back to their country? You who live in Chicago think it is okay for people to be a part of a country yet do nothing to support it? If it is these people who will end up in jail or leaving Israel so be it. At least if they can leave they will no longer be scnorring from the state.

US and Arab world press really buzzing about Yair. That is very telling. From a vantage point outside 'The Land' it's time to consider who's pulling who's strings and why. "If you give a mouse a cookie…" what #1 said is correct. Beware of the Deconstructionist wolves in sheep"s clothing. It's rampant over here. Bennett seems to be a realist and he also seems to think outside the box. Lapid seems kinds of phoney.

Abbas is inviting all these left center parties to him hoping to dictate terms. As showed in the u.s once you go left you are in trouble. Olmert's debacles left lebanon armed to the maxed under un resolution 1701 and livni leaving gaza left it for iran. The love affair with the left is a disease that will destroy israel. Also the small parties not making two percent wasted so many seats that the right could have won. Far more than 50 percent voted for the right but the parties votes were wasted under 2 percent and then were divided up including all the parties including livni and also the arab parties and meretz.

250,000 votes were wasted on small parties and almost all of them were right wing parties as kadima made it. That is 9 seats worth of votes. These voters are now getting split up to all parties including meretz and arab parties. All the u.s media talking about weak the right is but the real factor is that small parties on the right caused the loss of seats not some center surge. UTJ had a faction break up and bennett lost 70,000 to michael ben ari and haim amsalem cost lost more votes. Percentage this election right bloc was stronger but votes were wasted by small parties not making the threshold.

Is this guy for real of Naftali Bennett is abandoned by Bibi Bibi will have a wholesale revolt with the Likud even I would never support this and also will never support peace talks with Palis now. Lapid is a looney toon

Is Lapid accepting the palestinians conditions: 1949 lines? Jerusalem?

No, there's no need for forceful enlistment! All the government needs to do is STOP THE FUNDING to the yeshivot ! No funding = the Haredim will have to compromise or STARVE or LEAVE ISRAEL !!!

I agree change the system. The US system would not work for us however as we do not have a divide between church and state nor do we have a division in the knesset into two levels. We would need major changes to our parliamentary style of government to make that work. Then we would have to divide Israel into a way where one house had a population representation and the other house equal representation regardless of area. Finally even the US electorate does not directly vote for their President. That is only done by the Electoral College. It was this college that voted in G. W. Bush over the popular vote for Al Gore. It is not really possible here

"...Now, if some of my fellow talkbackers could be so kind as to let me know WHO voted for this creep and more importantly, WHY? " 5 million Jews are asking the same question!

This is the problem with this stupid dysfunctional system of coalition government. What we need is 3 (so there are option) parties where each MK is elected through districts so we can still vote for the party we like but we get rid of individuals we don't like. This would also stop parties choosing crackpots like Felgin or Merav Michelie or people forming new parties to satisfy their egos. The party that wins the most seats should rule the country alone for a fixed term. That means stability and what is promised before the election is what you can expect to get after because there are no secret deals being done with single issue parties. Also save a fortune because we won't have to spend a billion shekel on an election everytime a single issue party has a tantrum and brings down the government. In a logical system the right would have won this election considering the only non single issue left wing party got only 15 seats and the only non single issue rightist party got 31 but as you say people wasted votes no nobodies. If though Lapid had listened to Shelly he could team up with her and the various single issue little parties and formed a coalition to block Bibi and Peres would undoubtedly have then made Lapid PM. Not exactly democracy at its best. We would see responsible politics and address issues coalitions can't. The reason governments try to avoid the haredi draft issue is because 99% of the time they need both religious & secular single issue parties and if you upset one side and they pull out the coalition it brings down the whole government over just 1 irrelevant issue. We urgently need to take to the streets demand a truly democratic system where there is no power in the hands of single issue parties.

Yair Lapid = Israel’s Obama Be careful Israel, any sane Israeli knows that Oslo was a big failure and that peace with Arabs will never happen. This man is populare with women and the street voters who know little about anything. His father was a self hating Jew who hated Judaism. This was a vote against Hashem, nothing good will come out of this man.

who only served in the Army for 2 yrs and was a reporter who went home everyday.I don't think he's the moel for Military service

of learning Torah?

Raging right wingers were always the losers because their positions were (and are) always totally unrealistic. Israel must survive in a community of nations, not as a lone wolf in the world marching counter to world's progress. Israel must forge alliances, be equal to others not a "chosen" brat. For all this, Israel must seek peace, no matter what it takes, no matter how long it will take. Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid has its finger on the crrux of the matter of Israeli survival: Israel must work for peace, always forge alliances for peace, never give up. Israeli children need to start believing in bright peacetime prospects for their country.

Israel doesn't have a constitution, so maybe you could re-read the first sentence of the U.S. constitution? Also, try to remember that Israel is not the Old India or some African tribes: there are no casts in Israel, and never will be.

Firstly we are told that wehave no partner for peace and Abbaswill not come to the negotiating table, But when he suggests some talks to sound usout,we do not accept.No talking =no possibility of peace. So at least TRY!

The public is not so much annoyed at those who don't serve at all as they are that these same people are still allowed to vote and collect welfare checks from the taxpayers. Those who refuse service obligations should be allowed to do so in exchange for giving up the right to vote, run for public office or to collect welfare. Not different from the US, where those convicted of wartime draft dodging are sentenced to a year in prison as felons, and lose their voting rights or right to hold office, as well as right to hold any US government job. After all, since the Arabs and the haredim are opposed to the Jewish State, they have no need to vote in it or hold office if they refuse to fight for it or swear loyalty to it. Fair is fair. Don't like it? Emigration to Jordan or Lithuania is always an option for them.

How about having the obligation to do service like every citizen and thus erase their criminal past? If not, they should not have the rights of citizens, on a par with illegal immigrants to California.

Mr. Lapid's proposals since they might solve the most vexing problem of all: Peace!!! Three Cheers for Mr. Lapid!

It takes two to talk peace. With whom will Lapid talk, if the Arabs are not prepared to compromise. If Barak (Ehud Barak, not Barak Obama) and Olmert couldn't get a deal, do you really think Lapid, or for that matter anyone, can?

Lapid should not talk about red line. He should work with the government for the common good of Israel and Israel's defense against threats from within and without.