Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announced on Sunday that they will run together in the upcoming elections under a new united political party, in a move that could reshape the direction of the upcoming elections scheduled for no later than October.
Bennett’s and Lapid’s parties – Yesh Atid and Bennett 2026 – will merge into a single list named “Together, Led by Bennett.” The alliance is said to aim to unite the opposition bloc and boost its chances of unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I am taking the most Zionist and most patriotic step we have ever taken, for our country,” Bennett said at a joint press conference with Lapid in Herzliya on Sunday evening.
“Our unity sends a message to all the people of Israel: the era of division is over. The era of repair has arrived,” he added.
The two said that they would only form a government with the Zionist opposition parties and were opposed to a coalition with Arab parties.
“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,” said Bennet.
He also said that his government would advance a universal conscription law, stop funding draft evasion, and limit the term of a prime minister to eight years.
“We will safeguard the lands of our country and will not hand over a single centimeter to the enemy,” he added.
“We will strengthen an inclusive, welcoming Judaism without coercion.”
Bennett also told the press that a government led by him would advance same-sex marriage, along with civil marriage in the country.
Regarding differences with Lapid, he said that, “we have different views, and we are proud of it.”
Bennett also openly called on Yashar! Party leader Gadi Eisenkot to join him and Lapid’s party at the press conference.
'Our door is open to you, Gadi'
“We are charging forward to victory. Gadi, our door is open to you as well,” he said.
“We would be very happy if Eisenkot would join,” Bennett later reaffirmed to the press.
Lapid said in his remarks that “to win the elections, the entire Israeli center must rally behind Naftali Bennett.”
He spoke on his Yesh Atid Party’s work in the Knesset up until now, saying that for “14 years [we] have fought with love for the state.”
Lapid also compared the recent elections in Hungary to those in Israel. He said, “The opposition’s victory broke all the polls. It was much bigger than anyone expected.”
“It happened because people believed change was possible. They united behind one candidate, fought for their country, and won.”
The agreement between Lapid and Bennett was signed on Saturday evening, Lapid’s office confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.
When asked by the press if, by uniting, they aimed to garner right-wing voters or left-wing voters, Bennett responded that it was not about votes from the Right or Left, but to form a government for “all of Israel.”
Bennett and a Yesh Atid party spokesperson declined to comment on details of the list agreement. A space has been left for Eisenkot to join the merger as well, Bennett’s office told the Post.
Eisenkot had previously been offered a seat in Bennett’s party but said last month that he declined the offer because he did not want to serve as second-in-command.
Since then, there have been reports of ongoing talks among Bennett, Eisenkot, and Lapid about forming a joint party called “New Israel.”
Eisenkot previously served as second-in-command in the Blue and White Party led by MK Benny Gantz before leaving the party in June 2025 and resigning from the Knesset. He established the Yashar! Party in September 2025 ahead of the upcoming elections.
Former MK Matan Kahana, who left Gantz’s party, announced on Saturday that he would continue to be a member of Eisenkot’s party following speculation that he would join Bennett. In the past, Kahana had encouraged a merger between Bennett’s party and Eisenkot.
Bennett said during the press conference that Kahana could help encourage Eisenkot to join him and Lapid.
Eisenkot welcomed Bennett and Lapid’s decision to unite, saying that he had spoken to Bennett on the phone half an hour before the announcement.
“The goal of winning the critical elections before us is a shared goal.”
“I see Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid as partners and will continue to do, with responsibility and wisdom, what is right to achieve the victory and the change needed for the State of Israel. Fixing Israel is the mission of my life, and I am determined to fulfill it,” Eisenkot added.
Recent polls have shown Bennett’s party neck and neck with Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, with Eisenkot’s Yashar! trailing the two and occasionally coming ahead of Bennett.
Meanwhile, Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party had been weakening in the polls, standing at around six or seven seats.
It remains unclear how the merger will affect the opposition bloc’s overall success, which calls for ousting Netanyahu from power.
When asked by the press how they would form a majority, Bennett responded: “We are in the middle of a process much larger than that.”
Bennett became prime minister in June 2021, entering a rotation government with Lapid after four elections were held between 2019 and 2021. Their government was the first in Israel’s history to include an Arab party, adding the Ra’am Party to the coalition in a highly controversial move.
Bennett’s decision to partner with Lapid also drew criticism among his own voters at the time. His government was dissolved one year after its formation, and Lapid took over as prime minister until Netanyahu returned to power in the 2022 election.
During Bennett’s time as prime minister, he led the Yamina party. After his fragile coalition’s ultimate collapse, Bennett stayed on the sidelines and quietly left the political sphere.
In a move to return to politics ahead of the upcoming election, Bennett officially registered his new party in April 2025.
Both he and Lapid have criticized the current government’s advancement of the controversial draft legislation that calls for universal conscription.
The two have also said that they would not form another government with Arab or haredi parties and would only partner with Zionist parties.
Opposition, coalition members react to Bennett-Lapid's announcement
Opposition party leaders in the bloc welcomed the decision for Lapid and Bennett to unite.
Gantz congratulated Bennett and Lapid. He said that the real connection the State of Israel needs is "between the different parts of the people, without boycotts and without hatred."
Leader of the left-wing Democrats Party, Yair Golan, wrote that he "welcomes every unification in the [opposition] bloc."
"In the face of the challenges before us, the Democrats Party will constitute the sturdy democratic and liberal backbone in the next government, and will ensure that the camp's values lead and are not pushed aside," he added.
Yisrael Beytenu chair Avigdor Liberman wrote that he welcomes the unification and wished both Lapid and Bennett success, adding that "We must remember that the goal is to replace the government of October 7.”
Reservists Party chair Yoaz Hendel wished Bennett and Lapid "success in uniting their lists."
"We call on right-wingers who have been hesitating to join the Reservists Party," he added.
Meanwhile, right-wing ministers in Netanayhu’s coalition slammed the unification, with many referencing Bennett and Lapid’s past coalition with the Arab Ra’am Party.
The Likud Party posted an inflammatory AI-generated picture showing Ra'am (United Arab List) leader Mansour Abbas driving a vehicle, with child versions of Bennett and Lapid in the rear seats.
"Even together, it's clear - the driver in Mansour, no matter how the Left divides its votes," Likud wrote on X.
"In any case, Bennett and Lapid will go again with the Muslim Brotherhood, the terror supporters," the party wrote.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also posted an inflammatory AI-generated picture showing Ta'al MK Ahmad Tibi officiating a wedding between Lapid and Bennett.
"The Bennett-Lapid-[Muslim] Brotherhood alliance is back to selling the country to the Islamist movement. Bennett was and will remain an extreme Leftist," he wrote on X.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) reacted to the announcement by saying, "Do not interfere with the Left on how to divide votes," posting a picture of the two former PMs signing a coalition agreement with Abbas in 2021.
"The Abbas Servants' Alliance," Smotrich called them on X.
Innovation, Science, and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel (Likud) said that "After failing in his second attempt to deceive right-wing voters, the leftist Bennett is uniting. Let the left divide its votes as it sees fit."