Overview
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid announced a withdrawal from agreements with the World Zionist Organization and related National Institutions, alleging entrenched corruption and political patronage.
- He said his party will file a Knesset bill to nationalize KKL-JNF and subject it to public audit and transparency rules.
- Yesh Atid will refuse all positions and funding tied to the institutions after reports that Likud negotiators sought a senior WZO role for Yair Netanyahu.
- The decision derails a near-final power-sharing deal that had positioned Yesh Atid’s Meir Cohen to chair KKL-JNF and leaves leadership appointments unresolved.
- The WZO, the Jewish Agency, KKL-JNF and Keren Hayesod oversee billions in assets, with KKL-JNF controlling over 13% of Israel’s land, intensifying concerns over governance and accountability.