Former PMs Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid join hands to challenge Netanyahu in Oct. elections
Former PMs Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have joined hands for the upcoming elections. Photograph: (AFP)
Naftali Bennett, a Right-winger and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and centrist Yair Lapid had previously formed a coalition government in June 2021, which was replaced at the end of 2022 by the current administration led by PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid on Sunday announced their decision to join hands for the upcoming elections and will officially unite their two parties into a combined ticket called “Together – Led by Naftali Bennett”. A spokesperson for Bennett said the “merger of the Yesh Atid party and the Bennett 2026 party into a unified party” was the “first step in the process of healing the State of Israel.”
“This move unites the ‘reform bloc,’ puts an end to infighting, and allows for all efforts to be invested toward a decisive victory in the upcoming elections and to lead Israel toward the necessary reform,” added Bennett’s office.
Bennett and Lapid, the current leader of the opposition and the Yesh Atid party, worked together in 2021-2022 when they led a diverse coalition of right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties.
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In a post on X, Lapid said they would “announce the first step in the process of repairing the State of Israel: the merger of Yesh Atid and ‘Bennett 2026’ into a single party led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.”
“The move brings about the unification of the Repair Bloc, enabling all efforts to be focused on leading Israel toward the necessary repair.”
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Both have been outspoken critics of Netanyahu’s handling of the country’s wars since October 2023, with Lapid even labelling the recent two-week ceasefire agreed with Iran a “political disaster”.
Bennett, a Right-winger and longtime supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and centrist Lapid had previously formed a coalition government in June 2021, which was replaced at the end of 2022 by the current administration led by Netanyahu after Bennett said the coalition was no longer tenable.
Bennett, a former Israeli commando officer, has a profile that resonates with part of the country’s younger generation after more than two years of the Gaza war.
Lapid, a prominent television journalist, entered politics in 2012 by founding Yesh Atid, which went on to become the country’s second-largest political force.
Netanyahu plans to lead his party’s list in the general election that must be held no later than the end of October.
Netanyahu, 76, the leader of the right-wing Likud Party, is Israel’s longest-serving PM, with more than 18 cumulative years in office across multiple stints.
