B'Yachad party will pursue LGBTQ marriage rights if part of next government, Lapid vows

Opposition leader Yair Lapid vowed that the B'Yachad party will pursue equal rights for the LGBTQ community and enable civil marriage if it joins the next government. Lapid stated the party would seek legislation within the first 100 days guaranteeing equal rights for every couple in Israel, challenging the current religious status quo.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid vowed that the B'Yachad party will pursue equal rights for the LGBTQ community and enable civil marriage if it joins the next government. Lapid told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that the party would seek to pass legislation within the first 100 days guaranteeing equal rights for every couple in Israel. Currently, civil marriage is not performed in Israel due to the religious status quo, which prevents same-sex couples from legally marrying in the country. Lapid noted that his eldest son married in a Jewish wedding not through the Chief Rabbinate, arguing for a parallel civil marriage option. The B'Yachad party was formed from an alliance between Bennett and Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid Party and is one of the leading opposition blocs seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the October elections. Bennett has shifted towards more liberal stances while maintaining a right-wing view on security, and has said he would not form a coalition with the haredi parties.