Former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid may have united in the new "Together" joint list, but tensions reportedly remain behind the scenes.
Channel 12 News reported this evening (Thursday) that Bennett called Opposition Leader Lapid "toxic" just days before the announcement that the two would run together.
According to the report, Bennett told associates in meetings that he was extremely sceptical of the merger, saying that “Lapid is toxic, toxic, toxic." He also expressed concern that running together with Lapid would alienate the right-wing voters he is seeking to court.
The Together party stated in response to the report that the merger has made the joint list the largest political party in the country and that the current governing coalition is the only "toxic" element.
Bennett and Lapid announced the merger of their parties into one list led by Bennett on Sunday. 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.