POWER PLAY: Bennett and Lapid Reunite in Massive Joint Ticket to Topple Netanyahu
Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have officially joined forces for the 2026 elections, merging their parties into a single powerhouse list led by Bennett. With polls showing the new "New Israel" alliance could become the Knesset's largest faction, the race to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu has been blown wide open
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid are joining forces ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections, forming a unified electoral list that will be led by Bennett.
The two leaders are scheduled to hold a joint press conference tonight, where they are expected to formally unveil the alliance between Bennett’s newly registered “Bennett 2026” party and Lapid’s Yesh Atid party.
According to reports, the merger aims to create a strong centrist-to-center-right bloc capable of challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his current coalition. The joint list is designed to minimize vote-splitting among opposition voters and present a credible alternative for prime minister.
This 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.
Recent polls have shown Bennett gaining strong support, with his party sometimes polling close to or even neck-and-neck with Netanyahu’s Likud. A unified Bennett-Lapid list is widely seen as an attempt to capitalize on this momentum and consolidate the opposition vote.
Talks have also reportedly involved former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, though tonight’s announcement focuses primarily on the Bennett-Lapid partnership under the banner of a new joint list (possibly under the working name “New Israel”).
The move is clearly aimed at unseating Netanyahu. By combining forces under Bennett’s leadership, the two hope to build a broader coalition after the October 2026 elections that could form an alternative government.
However, forming a stable government would still require additional partners to reach the 61-seat majority threshold, a challenge given past ideological differences within the opposition.
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.
The joint press conference is set for this evening.