Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader MK Yair Lapid announced Sunday a joint political move to merge their parties ahead of the upcoming elections.
According to a statement from Bennett’s office, Yesh Atid and “Bennett 2026" will unite into a single party headed by Bennett.
The announcement described the move as the first step in a broader effort aimed at what it called “repairing the State of Israel," and said it is intended to consolidate political forces and reduce internal divisions within the camp.
The statement added that the merger is meant to allow a more focused campaign ahead of the elections, with the goal of achieving victory and driving political change.
It further said the union is designed to strengthen what it termed the “bloc of repair," creating a unified political framework to operate together in the public and political arenas.
Finance Minister and Religious Zionism Party leader Bezalel Smotrich responded to the announcement of the merger between Yesh Atid and Bennett 2026, with a post on his X account of Bennett and Lapid alongside Mansour Abbas, writing: “I don’t interfere with the left on how it divides its votes. Abbas’s ‘servants alliance’."
Minister Miki Zohar responded to the announcement by saying, "This is what happens when there is no ideology and no agenda. Neither right nor left. Bennett, supposedly right-wing, and Lapid, supposedly left-wing, are together trying to pass the electoral threshold. I am proud to be in Likud, the most democratic party in Israel, with a clear and sharp national path."
Minister Gila Gamliel added that, "After failing in a second attempt to mislead right-wing voters, the left-wing Bennett is uniting. Let the left divide its votes as it sees fit."
National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir said, "The Bennett-Lapid brothers’ alliance is returning to sell the country to the Islamic Movement. Bennett was extreme left and will remain extreme left."
Likud MKs responded saying, "The driver is Mansour. It doesn’t matter how the left divides its votes. In any case, Bennett and Lapid will once again go with the Muslim Brotherhood alliance that supports terrorism." The announcement was accompanied by an AI-generated image showing Mansour Abbas driving a car, while Lapid and Bennett are depicted as children strapped into the back seat.
MK Simcha Rothman said, "The path to Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi goes through Lapid. The ‘brothers’ alliance (the Muslim Brotherhood) is underway."
Yisrael Beiteinu party leader MK Avigdor Liberman responded to the merger saying, "I welcome the merger and wish them success. We must remember that the goal is to replace the October 7 government."
Minister May Golan commented saying, the plunge in the polls has pushed Bennett and Lapid back to what she called their “only business model," describing their alliance as a renewed “union of interests" rather than a centrist partnership. She accused the move of being driven by political gain, referencing “Decision 550" and alleging misuse of public funds for political and electoral purposes involving Arab parties, and concluded with criticism of the alliance’s objectives and its links to Mansour Abbas.