Hours after announcing that Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon would join the Yesh Atid party; party leader Yair Lapid held a joint press conference with Tibon on Tuesday evening in Tel Aviv. The two laid out their shared goals and the main struggles they intend to lead, foremost among them opposing the draft exemption law and establishing a state commission of inquiry into the events of October 7.
Lapid said Tibon would be part of the top leadership of Yesh Atid. “This is a union of values and a union of goals, a first step in joining forces to form a government that will lead Israel forward,” he said.
Lapid highlighted Tibon’s extensive military background, from commanding the Sayeret Matkal elite unit to heading the Northern Corps, and his involvement in the Defensive Shield for Israel forum and various civil-security initiatives.
Lapid also referred to Tibon as the “hero of October 7,” noting that, over the past two years, he was a leading figure in the protest movement for equal military burden and one of the strongest voices calling for a state inquiry. According to Lapid, Tibon’s joining symbolizes the party’s goals for the next government: “cleansing corruption, ending draft evasion, restoring personal security, and strengthening the middle class.” He added: “Just as you fought all your life for the country, now we will fight for its character and values, to ensure a Jewish, democratic, liberal, strong, and secure state. Together we will put the country back on track and form a government that gives power to working people, taxpayers, and reservists.”
Tibon stated that he is “enlisting for the most important mission: to save the State of Israel. The severe security situation is the reason I am joining Yesh Atid—to repair and restore security to Israeli citizens.” He stressed that the lessons of October 7 demand deep change. “I drove down roads strewn with bodies, fought terrorists armed with RPGs and Kalashnikovs. Everyone responsible for the failure must go home,” he asserted. He clarified that responsibility lies with the entire senior echelon: “The entire military leadership, all the heads of intelligence, and the failed government led by Netanyahu.”
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Maj. Gen. (res) Noam Tibon will join the leadership of the Yesh Atid party
(Photo: Elad Gutman)
He criticized the draft exemption law. “The IDF needs another 12,000 soldiers today, and instead the government is promoting a law that weakens the army and harms the security of us all,” Tibon said, and made it clear that “the next government will establish a state commission of inquiry on its first day. This is both a security and moral obligation.”
He went on to share his vision for the future. “Israel needs to be better, stronger, more just. We deserve a different government. Instead of draft dodging—unity. Instead of excuses—responsibility,” he said.
He added that the next Yesh Atid government will be a government of “the serving public,” as it was in the past, and that he intends “to rebuild the south and north, strengthen the IDF, and support the public that gives so much to the state.”