The merger is intended to end internal divisions and concentrate efforts on the next elections, the Yesh Atid party said in a statement. Bennett and Lapid have scheduled a joint news conference later on Sunday, major media outlets reported.
Bennett and Lapid previously served as prime ministers in a rotation agreement as part of a coalition government formed in 2021. That coalition ended 12 years of Benjamin Netanyahu's rule. Bennett served as prime minister for the first year until the coalition fractured, after which Lapid held the top job as caretaker prime minister for six months until new elections brought Netanyahu back to power. Lapid has since served as opposition leader, while Bennett took a break from politics.
Despite their ideological differences—Bennett is an Orthodox Jew with hard-line views toward the Palestinians, while Lapid is secular and more moderate—the two enjoyed a close working relationship during their short-lived coalition. Their alliance is aimed at uniting a fragmented opposition that appears to have little in common beyond shared hostility toward Netanyahu.