New Political Landscape in Israel: Two Former PMs Join Forces to Challenge Netanyahu

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid announced today that they will jointly establish a new political party to participate in this year's general election, with the goal of ousting current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to AFP, Bennett and Lapid issued a joint statement on television. Bennett said: 'Tonight we jointly establish the Unity Party (Beyahad). This party, led by me, will bring great victory and open a new era for our beautiful country.' Lapid stated: 'Bennett is a right-wing politician, but he is honest, and we trust each other.' Bennett pledged that once elected, he would establish a national inquiry committee to investigate the various failures that led to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which the current Netanyahu government has refused to do. Since that attack, both have been vocal critics of Netanyahu's handling of the war. Polls suggest Bennett is the most likely candidate to defeat Netanyahu in the October elections. The 54-year-old Bennett, a former high-tech entrepreneur, resonates with the younger generation. His new partner, the 62-year-old Lapid, is a former journalist and founder of the Yesh Atid party, Israel's second-largest political force.