Israel’s stagnant opposition was given a jolt on Sunday when two of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most experienced political rivals joined forces ahead of elections due in October.
Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, both former prime ministers in the previous government, named their bloc “Together”, with the right-wing Mr Bennett as its leader. Mr Lapid is considered a centrist.
The news is one of the most significant developments for the opposition ahead of the elections, but is far from decisive. Despite the government being tainted by the catastrophe of the Hamas-led October 7 attacks, anger over its failure to act to force young ultra-Orthodox men to complete military service, and increasing criticism abroad, the opposition has struggled to form a widely compelling message against Mr Netanyahu, with many of its most traditional figures losing momentum in the polls.
Israeli pollster Dahlia Scheindlin told The National that there is a "sense of general intrigue" about the announcement, but that exhaustion from years of war means most people "have much bigger issues on their mind”.
Mr Bennett and Mr Lapid supported the war against Iran, although they criticised aspects of how Mr Netanyahu approached the campaign.
"Political junkies are interested in [the announcement] but most want to know if the wars are going to start again. People who were against Netanyahu before the announcement will still be against him, and those who were for him will still be for him," she said.
"It's definitely the right direction for the opposition ... It’s a noble look and makes people feel good within the bloc but I don’t think it’s going to bring a single person from within the Netanyahu camp."
Mr Lapid and Mr Bennett led the broad coalition that ended a 12-year run in power for Mr Netanyahu, after their victory in the 2021 election. It spanned right-wing parties (although excluded the ultra-Orthodox and the most right-wing leadership in the settler movement) to those representing Palestinian citizens of Israel.
The coalition lasted in power for only 18 months and was succeeded by the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, which has hugely expanded the decades-long programme to settle Palestinian land, pushed controversial legal reforms and fought devastating wars across the Middle East.
Opinion polls since the October 7 attacks consistently show Mr Netanyahu is far from guaranteed victory in the next election but having held office for all but 18 months since 2009, he is a gifted political survivor.
Announcing the latest decision, Mr Bennett promised a spate of policies that many Israelis opposed to the current government are demanding: a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks and legislation to make ultra-Orthodox military service mandatory.
Mr Lapid said the decision would strengthen the opposition after a turbulent, lacklustre period. “This move is intended to unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections and leading Israel forward,” he said.
Gilad Kariv, of the left-wing Democrats party, welcomed the move, saying it “creates a natural address for centrist and moderate right-wing voters”.
Eliyahu Revivo, a politician in Mr Netanyahu's Likud party, dismissed the union, as did many in the right-wing media. "We don't interfere with how the left divides its votes," he posted on X.
Palestinian-Israeli politician Sami Abu Shehadeh told The National that the decision spells a “disaster” for Israeli politics.
“This means that ideology is going out of politics, which is instead becoming the politics of stars, without any essence or meaning,” he said.
Mr Lapid and Mr Bennett come from differing ideological camps, a reality that fuelled the collapse of their 2022 coalition after Mr Netanyahu’s successful attempts to convince politicians in Mr Bennett’s right-wing party to leave.
Israeli journalist and unofficial Netanyahu biographer Anshel Pfeffer wrote on X: “Conventional wisdom is the sum won’t be as large as the parts. Some of Bennett’s more right-wing fans can’t stomach a vote for Lapid and vice versa.”
David Makovsky wrote that the potential “blurring [of] traditional ideological lines” in the opposition after the merger could encourage others to join a “wider tent”. This most importantly applies to Gadi Eisenkot, who has been steadily rising in polls and overtaking stalwarts of the opposition.
A key hurdle for the opposition is the commitment of many Jewish politicians, including Mr Bennett, to reject Palestinian parties in a coalition. Arab parties were an important bloc in the 2022 coalition, not only for their numbers but also the perception at home and abroad of inclusion.
“If they continue delegitimising Palestinians, they cannot succeed. Accepting the racist hegemony is not a way to do better politics. Instead, you should hold to your values and convince the public that racism is bad,” Mr Abu Shehadeh said.
