Parties merge
Former heads of government forge alliance against Netanyahu
Updated April 27, 2026 – 7:02 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Jair Lapid and Naftali Bennett formed a government in Israel in 2021 – and failed after 18 months. Now their parties are merging to declare war on Benjamin Netanyahu.
The two former Israeli Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Jair Lapid are joining forces to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election. The right-wing politician Bennett and the centrist opposition leader Lapid announced the merger of their parties on Sunday
2026 and Yesh Atid.
The new alliance will be called “Together” and will be led by Bennett, his office said. This move is intended to unite the bloc, end internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the crucial elections, Lapid explained. This should lead Israel into the future. The election is scheduled to take place by the end of October.
The two politicians forced Netanyahu out of office after the 2021 election, ending his 12-year reign. However, their coalition at the time collapsed after 18 months. Netanyahu made a comeback in November 2022, forming the most right-wing government in the country’s history. However, Hamas’ attack on southern Israel in 2023 has damaged Netanyahu’s reputation as a guarantor of security.
Previous polls suggest the new party has a chance of winning. In a survey by the broadcaster N12 News on April 23, 54-year-old former tech entrepreneur Bennett and his previous party won 21 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, while Netanyahu’s Likud won 25 seats. The party of 62-year-old former television presenter Lapid fell to seven seats. However, an alliance led by the two, together with smaller groups, would get at least 60 seats, while Netanyahu’s coalition of right-wing and religious parties would win 50 seats.
