Two leading rivals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, announced on Sunday the merger of their parties into a new alliance called Together, with Bennett as its leader. The move aims to challenge Netanyahu's coalition in the election expected by the end of October.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid held a joint news conference on Sunday to announce the merger of Bennett 2026 and There is a Future into the party Together. "We are standing here together for the sake of our children. The State of Israel must change direction," Lapid said. Bennett added, "After 30 years it is time to part with Netanyahu and open a new chapter for Israel."
Bennett and Lapid previously partnered in 2021 to end Netanyahu's 12-year tenure, forming a coalition that included the United Arab List for the first time and lasted 18 months. They also joined Netanyahu's 2013 coalition. Netanyahu returned to power after the 2022 election with Israel's most right-wing government. However, the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel damaged his standing, with polls forecasting an opposition win.
An April 23 N12 News survey projected 21 seats for Bennett, 25 for Netanyahu's Likud, and 7 for Lapid, but their combined alliance could secure at least 60 seats against Netanyahu's 50. Bennett ruled out coalitions with Arab parties or ceding land. Netanyahu posted a 2021 photo of Bennett, Lapid, and Mansour Abbas on Telegram, stating, "They did it once, they’ll do it again."
The rivals criticise Netanyahu over military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox communities and failure to achieve strategic gains against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas amid high casualties.
