Two Former Israeli PMs Form Coalition to Oust Netanyahu

Two former Prime Ministers (PMs) of Israel, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who are the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest political rivals, have formed a coalition to challenge him in the forthcoming election, expected to be held by the end of this year. The two former Israeli PMs, as reported by Al Jazeera on Monday (27/4/2026), stated that they are uniting in an effort to topple the Netanyahu government. Bennett, from the right-wing, and Lapid, from the centrist faction, issued a joint statement on Sunday (26/4) local time to announce the merger of their political parties, Bennett 2026 and There is a Future. This alliance of the two former Israeli PMs aims to unite the fragmented opposition, which appears to have little in common besides a shared enmity towards Netanyahu. Bennett’s office stated that the new combined party will be named “Together” and that he will lead it. “I am pleased to announce that tonight, together with my friend Yair Lapid, I am taking the most Zionist and patriotic step we have ever taken for our country,” said Bennett in a joint statement with Lapid broadcast on local television. In the televised statement, Lapid said: “Bennett is a right-wing politician, but he is honest, and there is mutual trust between us.” “This step is intended to unite the bloc, end internal divisions, and focus all efforts on winning the important upcoming election – and leading Israel towards the future,” said Lapid. Bennett stated that if he is elected, he will form a national inquiry commission to investigate what he called the failures leading to the surprise Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 – an accusation rejected by the Netanyahu government. Bennett and Lapid have been vocal critics of the way Netanyahu has handled the war raging since the Hamas attack. Recently, Lapid criticised the two-week ceasefire agreed with Iran as a “political disaster”. Bennett and Lapid previously formed a joint coalition that ended Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years in office in the 2021 election. However, they only formed a government that lasted less than 18 months. Bennett, aged 54, is a former military commander who is now a technology millionaire. In an election poll by Israel’s N12 News on 23 April, Bennett is predicted to secure 21 seats out of the total 120 seats in the Knesset, rivaling the 25 seats for Netanyahu’s Likud Party. The survey aligns with several previous polls by academic institutions and other local Israeli media, positioning Bennett as the main candidate against Netanyahu in the election.