Israel’s politics saw a major shift on Sunday as opposition leader Yair Lapid announced he would join hands with former prime minister Naftali Bennett ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections, in a move aimed at unseating current PM Benjamin Netanyahu.Lapid said the two leaders would contest the October elections on a joint list, with a formal announcement expected later in the day. In a post on X, Lapid said the pair “will announce today the first step in the process of repairing the State of Israel: the unification of the Yesh Atid party and the Bennett 2026 party into a single party led by the former Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett.”“The move brings about the unification of the Repair Bloc, enabling all efforts to be focused on leading Israel toward the necessary repair,” he added.“The unity between us is a message to all the people of Israel: the era of division has ended. The era of repair has arrived,” Lapid said in another post.Both Lapid and Bennett have been vocal critics of Netanyahu’s leadership, particularly over his handling of conflicts since October 2023.The two leaders had previously joined forces in June 2021 to form a coalition government that briefly ended Netanyahu’s long tenure. That government collapsed in 2022, after which Netanyahu returned to power.
Who is Naftali Bennett?
Naftali Bennett is a right-wing Israeli leader and former prime minister who first came to power in June 2021 as part of a broad coalition government. A longtime supporter of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, Bennett previously served as an adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu before emerging as a strong political rival.He is a former Israeli commando officer and a successful tech entrepreneur who sold his start-up in 2005 for $145 million. Over the years, he has led several right-wing parties and built a reputation that appeals to parts of Israel’s younger generation, especially during the ongoing Gaza conflict. According to AFP, opinion polls now suggest he is among the strongest challengers to Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
Who is Yair Lapid?
Yair Lapid is a centrist leader and former prime minister who currently plays a key role in Israel’s opposition politics. He entered politics in 2012 after a successful career as a television journalist and founded the Yesh Atid party, which went on to become one of Israel’s largest political forces.Lapid briefly served as caretaker prime minister in 2022 after Bennett’s coalition collapsed. The son of Holocaust survivor and former minister Tommy Lapid and author Shulamit Lapid, he has since continued as a leading opposition voice. Netanyahu, 76, is expected to lead his Likud party into the election. He remains Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, with over 18 years in office across multiple terms, AFP reported.Earlier in the day, Netanyahu warned that Hezbollah’s actions were undermining the ceasefire with Lebanon and pledged a strong response. “It must be understood that Hezbollah’s violations are, in practice, dismantling the ceasefire,” Netanyahu said during a weekly cabinet meeting.“We are acting vigorously in accordance with arrangements agreed with the United States and, incidentally, also with Lebanon,” he said.“This means freedom of action not only to respond to attacks, which is obvious, but also to pre-empt immediate threats and even emerging threats,” he added.Hezbollah however, rejected these allegations calling them baseless and accusing Israel of violating the truce. The group said it would continue responding to Israeli actions and maintain its presence in southern Lebanon.