A new party called "Together" is being formed in Israel to oppose Netanyahu

Two former Israeli prime ministers—Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid—have announced that they are joining forces and forming a new party called “Together.” The new alliance is expected to pose serious competition to the Likud party of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.

This was reported by Bloomberg.

The new political force will be led by Naftali Bennett, who stepped away from politics after his defeat in the 2022 elections but, according to polls, remains one of Netanyahu’s strongest opponents. The politician, known for his support of settlers, has recently adopted more centrist positions, particularly on domestic policy.

Yair Lapid, who represents the centrist electorate and leads the Yesh Atid party, is currently the leader of the opposition. Bennett and Lapid have collaborated before—it was their government that ousted Netanyahu from power, but the coalition lasted just over a year and suffered a defeat in the 2022 elections.

In a joint statement, the politicians called the merger “the first step in the process of healing the State of Israel.”

“This step unites the ‘reform bloc,’ puts an end to internal strife, and allows us to focus all our efforts on achieving a decisive victory in the upcoming elections and leading Israel toward the necessary reforms,” the statement reads.

Unlike previous agreements between the politicians, the new deal does not include a rotation of the prime minister’s office.

According to the latest opinion polls, Bennett and Netanyahu have nearly equal levels of support. If their votes are combined with Lapid’s party, the new political force could become the largest in parliament.

Polls also indicate that the opposition bloc (excluding Israeli Arab parties) can expect to win 60–61 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, opening the possibility for forming a coalition government.

As a reminder, Israel recently agreed to a 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon and announced the start of a move toward a diplomatic settlement; however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that the war against Hezbollah is not yet over and military operations will continue. He also emphasized that the country is combining diplomacy and force, seeking to simultaneously deter threats and advance peace agreements.