Former PMs Reunite To Mount Joint Challenge Against Netanyahu

In a renewed bid to reshape Israeli politics, former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have agreed to merge their parties ahead of upcoming elections, targeting the removal of longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

The alliance revives a political partnership that briefly ended Netanyahu’s long rule in 2021, when both men led a fragile coalition government under a power-sharing deal.

Announcing the move, Lapid’s Yesh Atid said the merger is designed to unify the opposition, eliminate internal divisions, and concentrate efforts on winning the next election.

Under the new arrangement, Bennett is expected to head the joint faction. The two leaders were scheduled to hold a joint press conference later Sunday.

Despite ideological differences, Bennett is a religious conservative with hardline positions on Palestinian issues, while Lapid is a secular centrist, the pair maintained a functional working relationship during their time in power.

Their renewed alliance comes as Israel’s opposition remains fragmented, with little common ground beyond a shared determination to unseat Netanyahu.