Manny Ita –
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid have announced a joint political list to contest this year’s elections, in a coordinated effort aimed at unseating incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a televised joint statement on Sunday, Bennett said, “I am pleased to announce that tonight, together with my friend Yair Lapid, I am taking the most Zionist and patriotic step we have ever taken for our country.”
He added that the alliance would be called the Beyahad (Together) party, which he said would “lead to a great victory and open a new era for our beautiful country.”
Lapid, who also previously served as prime minister, described Bennett as “a right-wing politician, but an honest one,” adding that mutual trust underpins the partnership. Earlier, he confirmed on social media that the move represented a unification of what he called the “Repair Bloc,” aimed at focusing efforts on national recovery and political change.
Bennett said that if elected, the alliance would establish a national commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, a step the current government has resisted.
Both Bennett and Lapid have been vocal critics of Netanyahu’s leadership during the ongoing regional conflicts. Lapid has previously described a recent ceasefire with Iran as a “political disaster.”
The two leaders previously served together in a coalition government formed in June 2021, which collapsed in late 2022, paving the way for Netanyahu’s return to power.
Opinion polls suggest Bennett may be one of the strongest challengers to Netanyahu in the upcoming election, which must be held no later than the end of October.
Bennett, a former special forces officer and tech entrepreneur, and Lapid, a former journalist and founder of the Yesh Atid party, both bring significant political experience and public recognition to their new alliance.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister with more than 18 cumulative years in office, is expected to lead his party into the upcoming vote.
