Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid are merging their respective parties under Bennett’s leadership, a move their offices say marks “the first step in the process of healing the State of Israel.”
The unified party – which will be officially unveiled Tuesday – will combine Bennett’s Bennett 2026 faction with Lapid’s Yesh Atid, according to a statement from Bennett’s office, which said the merger “puts an end to internal infighting” within the anti-Netanyahu bloc and positions the new party for “a decisive victory in the upcoming elections.”
Both Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid have been virulently and vocally opposed to allowing bnei torah to continue learning in their yeshivos, insisting that Chareidim must be forced into the IDF and that all funding to the community be completely halted until that happens.
The announcement comes as Bennett has surged in the polls. A recent Maariv survey showed his party running neck and neck with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, each drawing 24 Knesset seats. Yesh Atid, by contrast, had fallen to just 7 seats — making the merger a lifeline for Lapid and a consolidation of strength for Bennett.
The combined party would anchor what Bennett’s office is calling the “reform bloc,” a coalition of center and center-right opposition forces. Bennett had previously been in contact with Yashar party chief and former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot about a broader alliance, with reports suggesting the three factions had discussed forming a new joint party under the name “New Israel.”
That broader consolidation, however, appeared incomplete Tuesday. Former MK Matan Kahana, who resigned from the Knesset last year to join Eisenkot’s Yashar party, said Saturday that he would remain with Yashar amid speculation he might return to Bennett’s orbit. Kahana, who previously served as a minister in Bennett’s government, has publicly advocated for a Bennett-Eisenkot merger.
Whether Eisenkot ultimately joins the new alignment could determine how formidable a challenge the unified party poses to Netanyahu ahead of the next election.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
