Former Israeli prime ministers Bennett and Lapid form new party for upcoming elections

On April 26, 2026, former Israeli Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid held a joint press conference in Herzliya, Israel. They announced the merger of their respective political parties, Bennett 2026 and There is a Future, into a new unified party named Together. Naftali Bennett will serve as the leader of this new entity. The stated objective of this alliance is to challenge the incumbent coalition government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the general elections scheduled for October 27, 2026. This move marks a repeat of their previous collaboration, which successfully ended Netanyahu's 12-year tenure in 2021 before their coalition government collapsed after 18 months. Their prior administration was notable for including the United Arab List, the first time in Israeli history an Arab minority party joined the government. The two leaders cited a need for a change in national direction to move past Netanyahu's long-standing leadership.