In a major political shake-up, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Sunday they are teaming up to run together in this year's elections. Their goal? To unseat longtime incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 🗳️✨
Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said in a statement that the move aims to "unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections." Talk about a power duo! 💪
This isn't their first rodeo. Lapid and Bennett, a right-wing figure who supports West Bank settlements, previously served as prime ministers in a rotation deal within a coalition government from June 2021 to December 2022. That alliance famously ended Netanyahu's 12-year consecutive rule and marked a historic moment when an independent Arab party, Ra'am, formally joined an Israeli coalition. 📜
After snap elections in December 2022, Netanyahu bounced back to office, leading what critics call the most far-right government in Israeli history. Since then, Lapid has been serving as opposition leader, while Bennett took a break from politics—until now. 🔄
With the 2026 elections heating up, this reunion of former PMs adds a fresh twist to Israel's political drama. Will they succeed in dethroning Netanyahu? Stay tuned as the campaign unfolds! 🌍🇮🇱
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Two former Israeli PMs unite to challenge Netanyahu in elections
cgtn.com
