Bennett and Lapid say they’ll form a new “Together” bloc to topple Netanyahu. Analysts warn it may not sway Palestinians’ reality on the ground and could face limits in a fragmented vote.
Israel’s political chessboard is shifting again, with Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announcing plans to resume an alliance last seen before toppled Benjamin Netanyahu in 2021.
The duo spoke publicly in Herzliya on Sunday, presenting a united front from identical podiums as they moved to set up the “Together” party under Bennett’s leadership.. For many Israelis tired of repeated elections and unstable coalitions, the message is familiar: a “change government” coalition strong enough to replace a leader many want out.
The problem is that the storyline is not new.. When Bennett and Lapid joined forces in 2021, they built an unusually broad coalition that stretched across right-wing, centrist and left-wing parties, and it included, for the first time in Israeli government, a party representing Palestinian citizens of Israel.. That pact also came with a premiership-rotation agreement: Bennett would serve first, followed by Lapid after 12 months.. For a time, it helped stabilize governance, including passing a long-delayed budget and sidelining some of the influence religious parties had enjoyed.
Yet stability proved temporary.. As disputes grew and alliances hardened into factionalism, the coalition fractured and collapsed in 2022.. Defections from Bennett’s camp toward Likud and others, combined with disagreements over security and policy toward the occupied West Bank, turned the “anti-Netanyahu” experiment into another chapter of Israel’s rotating political cycle.
Now, the alliance is back on the table, and polls suggest the numbers may not match the ambition.. A poll published this week projected that Bennett and Lapid’s new bloc could win four fewer seats than the combined total of their earlier separate parties, and one fewer than Netanyahu’s Likud would secure on its own.. In a system where seat counts can determine whether coalitions even function, those details matter—especially after a period when many Israelis appear unconvinced by slogans alone.
Why the “Together” push faces a credibility test
Political analysts point out that Netanyahu’s main strength has often been nationalism, a style of leadership that can appeal to segments of the public supportive of Israel’s war posture and broader regional stance.. But his vulnerability has been the legal and institutional pressures surrounding corruption charges and a trial process that has continued to shadow his time in power.. Even some critics who are not committed to the opposition may hesitate to switch if they believe the alternative will end up as fragile as the last coalition.
There is also the question of whether the alliance is being built as a final governing option—or merely as a lead-in to a larger anti-Netanyahu lineup.. Analysts have suggested the Bennett-Lapid pairing may function more like a “semifinal” signal of who can lead the bloc opposed to Netanyahu, rather than the last word on who will actually form the next government.
Palestinians may see more continuity than change
Bennett’s position toward statehood has been especially hard-line.. He has repeatedly stressed opposition to a Palestinian state, and earlier statements have drawn attention for their willingness to endorse extreme measures.. That stance is unlikely to be reversed simply because Bennett and Lapid are speaking together.. And even the symbolic inclusivity of the earlier coalition—when a Palestinian citizens’ party sat within government—appears to be moving in the opposite direction, with Bennett signaling support limited to “Zionist” parties and exclusion of “Arab parties.”
The practical implication is stark: for many Palestinians, the difference between one Israeli government and another may be measured less by party branding and more by whether policy choices shift on security, settlement pressures, and the political status of Palestinian citizens inside Israel.. When exclusionary lines are drawn, it can also reshape how Palestinian legal and civic communities perceive whether their representation has room to influence outcomes—or whether it will simply be used and then abandoned.
What this could mean for Israel’s next election cycle
There is also the timeline factor: with more polls and additional potential alliances looming, Bennett and Lapid may be acting to lock in momentum early, before other factions decide where they will stand.. If the “Together” bloc is not clearly the strongest anti-Netanyahu option, other leaders—such as those mentioned as possible additional coalition partners—may determine whether the alliance becomes a government-in-waiting or another stepping stone.
For voters, the question may come down to a simple assessment: is this a reset that can endure internal conflict, or is it a familiar coalition structure returning to the stage with old disputes only now given new branding?. In Israel’s current climate, either answer could shape not only who wins power, but how long it lasts.