Rising star: Yair Lapid.

“It appears that the big winner of the elections is Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party,” reports the Times of Israel, “and US commentator Jeffrey Goldberg is already speculating about the White House reading up on the news anchor-turned-political superstar.” On Tuesday, Goldberg Tweeted: “I wonder if someone in the White House is right now researching the question, “Who is Yair Lapid, and what exactly does he think?”

Here’s an interesting profile the Times ran last fall — “Yesh Atid sets out to prove it’s more politics than personality: Buffeted with claims that the party stands for nothing, or all the wrong things, Yair Lapid and his clutch of fresh-faced comrades aim for supremacy in the battle for the center.”

Wednesday morning headlines in Israel:

• Yedioth Ahronoth – Israel wanted change: A blow to Netanyahu, a leap for Lapid
• Maariv – A weakened right, a blow to Netanyahu, the big winner: Yair Lapid
• Israel Hayom – Lapid’s surprise, Likud’s disappointment
• Haaretz – Dramatic achievement for Yair Lapid, disappointment in the Likud

(Source: Times of Israel)