Israel’s Opposition Leader Has Merged Parties With The Former Prime Minister To Try To Oust Netanyahu In The Elections
“After 30 years of Netanyahu, it's time to say goodbye to him and take the country to a new page, to a new chapter, and that's what we will do”.
Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid announced they are merging their parties to oust Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming election.
On Sunday, April 26, Bennett and Lapid announced that their parties, Yesh Atid and Bennett 2026, will merge into a single coalition named "Together, Led by Bennett" to end Netanyahu’s rule.
“After 30 years of Netanyahu, it's time to say goodbye to him and take the country to a new page, to a new chapter, and that's what we will do”, Bennett said while announcing the alliance.
Lapid said the merger was intended to create a stable alternative government after years of political deadlock.
Bennett and Lapid previously formed a coalition government in June 2021 that briefly removed Netanyahu from office.
However, their government collapsed in December 2022, allowing Netanyahu to return to power.
The move comes as Netanyahu faces continued criticism over Israel’s genocide in Gaza and its war on Iran and Lebanon.
Netanyahu is also still on trial for bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, which he denies.
His corruption trial began in May 2020 and has contributed to years of political instability in Israel.
There have also been repeated calls in Israel for an independent inquiry into Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, but Netanyahu refused to do it.
Bennett said that if elected, his government would launch the investigation on “day one.”
According to a poll published by the Jerusalem Post, the new bloc is projected to win four fewer seats than the combined total of both politicians' former parties if they were running separately, and would have one seat fewer than Netanyahu's Likud Party.
Bennett has also invited Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief of staff who leads the opposition party Yashar, to join the alliance.
Eisenkot has not announced yet if he will join Bennett’s coalition.
Israel’s national elections are scheduled to be held on Oct. 27, 2026.
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