New development in Israel: An alliance against Netanyahu has been formed; he could be sidelined

Critical developments are emerging from the global agenda. Analysts have suggested that the decision by former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s “Bennett 2026” party and main opposition leader Yair Lapid’s “There Is a Future” party to run under a single banner in this year’s elections could shift the balance of power in Israeli politics. The Israeli press has indicated that this new coalition could oust the government led by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. A report on Israel’s Channel 12, citing sources close to Bennett, noted that the newly announced “Together Party” would put an end to internal conflicts, while stating that the goal is to secure a decisive victory in the elections scheduled for October 27 this year.

The Maariv newspaper reported that, according to the latest poll, "Bennett 2026" is projected to secure at least 24 seats in the upcoming elections, putting it neck-and-neck with the "Likud Party" led by Netanyahu, which is represented by 24 members of the Knesset. It was projected that Israel’s main opposition party, “There Is a Future,” would enter the Knesset with 7 lawmakers. The Haaretz newspaper wrote that the new alliance would increase the opposition’s chances of forming a government without needing Netanyahu or extremist parties (the Haredim), by reaching the so-called “magic number” (61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset).

Details of the Developments

In a report published in the left-leaning "Haaretz" newspaper, the decision to merge was supported, and Lapid’s decision to cede leadership to Bennett was described as a "national decision." Channel 13, an Israeli television station, noted that the biggest challenge would be whether Bennett could convince his right-wing voter base to form a new alliance with a "secular" figure like Lapid. It was reported that Likud is running a campaign characterizing the alliance as “left-wing” and claiming it threatens the state’s identity.

Former Defense Minister and chairman of Our Home Israel, Avigdor Lieberman, expressed support for the merger in a post on his account on the U.S.-based social media platform X.

This news has made it into the top headlines of the global agenda. Experts are closely monitoring potential developments.