JERUSALEM – Two former Israeli prime ministers, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, have announced the merger of their parties into a new political formation called “Beyahad” (“Together”), with a clear objective: the removal from power of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a figure that many consider increasingly divisive in Israeli politics.
Bennett and Lapid have worked together before. In 2021, they managed to push Netanyahu into opposition for the first time in more than a decade in power, forming a broad coalition with eight political parties, including the Arab Ra'am party led by Mansour Abbas. The two leaders led the government under a rotating agreement for the prime minister's post.
However, their government lasted only a year. In June 2022, MK Idit Silman left the coalition, breaking the fragile majority by just one seat. This development paved the way for Netanyahu to return to power, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history, with a total of about 19 years in power, including his first term between 1996 and 1999.
Since then, Lapid has held the role of opposition leader, while Bennett has retired from politics for a period. The two are often considered an odd political pair: Bennett is a right-wing, Orthodox politician with tough stances on the Palestinians, while Lapid is a secular and more moderate figure.
Their return to a joint alliance comes at a difficult time for Israel, after three years of near-constant conflict and deep political division in the country. Debates have also focused on the demand for an independent commission to investigate the government's responsibilities for the failures that led to the Hamas attack on October 7.
Another controversial issue is the mandatory military service for the ultra-Orthodox community, which, although provided for in the law, continues to be unimplemented due to opposition from religious parties in the government. Recently, the Supreme Court even asked the executive branch to respect legal obligations in this regard.
The Bennett-Lapid alliance was signed on Saturday evening. In a press conference, the two leaders stated that their union aims to unite the reformist camp and focus energies on a victory in the upcoming elections, to then steer the country towards the necessary reforms.
There is also expected to be room for other figures in the new political formation. An open invitation has been extended to former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, who recently founded a new centrist party called “Yashar!” (“Honesty”).
According to a recent poll published by the Maariv newspaper, the current ruling coalition could secure around 49 seats in parliament, while the opposition bloc could reach 61 seats – the minimum needed to form a government.
However, the new alliance has also provoked strong reactions from the ruling camp. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has accused Bennett and Lapid of "selling out the country to the Islamist movement," while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has described the agreement as an "alliance in the service of Abbas."
Meanwhile, other parts of the opposition have welcomed the merger. Democrats leader Yair Golan said that any merger within the opposition camp is positive, while Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman wished success to the new joint list, stressing that the goal is to replace the current government.
