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‘Together’ again: Bennett, Lapid unite in joint ticket to topple Netanyahu

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Recent polls have shown Bennett gaining strong support, with his party sometimes polling close to or even neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s Likud.

By Gila Isaacson, JFeed and World Israel News Staff

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid are joining forces ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, forming a unified electoral list called “Together,” that will be led by Bennett.

The two leaders held a joint press conference Sunday night in which they formally unveiled the alliance between Bennett’s newly registered “Bennett 2026” party and Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.

“I am taking the most Zionist and most patriotic step we have ever taken, for our country,” Bennett said at the press conference in Herzliya.

“Our unity sends a message to all the people of Israel: The era of division is over. The era of repair has arrived,” he declared.

The joint list is designed to minimize vote-splitting among opposition voters and present a credible alternative for prime minister. The move is clearly aimed at unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This development marks a significant political reunion for the two men, who previously cooperated in the short-lived 2021–2022 “Government of Change,” in which Bennett served as prime minister and Lapid as alternate prime minister before the coalition collapsed.

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They said they would only welcome Zionist parties into the coalition, unlike in 2021-2022, when they included the United Arab List, or Ra’am, the political wing of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

Recent polls have shown Bennett gaining strong support, with his party sometimes polling close to or even neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s Likud.

Bennett vowed to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre on the first day of his government.

A unified Bennett-Lapid list is widely seen as an attempt to capitalize on this momentum and consolidate the opposition vote.

Polls also indicate that Yesh Atid would have insufficient votes to meet the electoral threshold, in which case this alliance could be a lifesaver for Lapid’s party.

“On the first day of the new government under my leadership, we will establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre to bring truth to the families and answers to all the people of Israel,” Bennett vowed.

Bennett also invited former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar Party, to join the coalition.

However, forming a stable government would still require additional partners to reach the 61-seat majority threshold.

“We are uniting today to win the elections and to establish a Zionist government, strong and stable,” Lapid said. “A partnership between the center and right, between religious and secular, between north and south — without draft dodging and without extremism.”

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“Israel has the best people in the world,” he continued. “They deserve an efficient, functioning, honest government — one that invests in the working public that serves in the army, in reservists and their families. A government that will provide security, focus on education, lower prices, fight corruption, and draft the Haredim.”

This development is expected to shake up the political landscape as Israel prepares for what could be one of the most consequential elections in recent years.

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