Wikipedia

Together (Israel)

Together (Hebrew: ביחד, romanized: b'yaḥad) is an Israeli political alliance founded in April 2026 by former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid and their parties Bennett 2026 and Yesh Atid. The alliance is expected to run in the 2026 Israeli legislative election with Bennett as its leader.

Together
ביחד
LeaderNaftali Bennett
Founder
Founded26 April 2026 (2026-04-26)
HeadquartersRa'anana[1]
Ideology[discuss]
Political positionCentre to right-wing[2] [discuss]
Colors  Green
  Blue
  White
Members
Website
https://go.be-yahad.org.il/

Background

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In the 2021 Israeli legislative election, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid ran as leaders of Yamina and Yesh Atid, respectively. Following the election, the two parties helped form a unity government in June 2021[3] in which Bennett served as prime minister, with Lapid taking over in July 2022.[4] The government collapsed in June 2022, with Bennett retiring from politics[5] and the outgoing government being replaced, following the 2022 Israeli legislative election, by a coalition led by Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu.[6]

In April 2025, Bennett announced the creation of a new political party, Bennett 2026, to contest the 2026 Israeli legislative election.[7] In late 2025 and early 2026, Israeli media reported negotiations for a potential run between Bennett 2026, Yesh Atid, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party, and Yisrael Beiteinu.[8][9][10]

On 26 April 2026, Yesh Atid and Bennett 2026 publicly announced the formation of Together, with the intention of contesting the 2026 election jointly, led by Bennett.[11] The two party leaders signed an agreement the night before.[12] The two parties invited Yashar to join the alliance.[13] Lapid indicated to Bennett that he would be willing to take a third slot on the list to allow Eisenkot to take his slot, but Eisenkot was reportedly unreceptive to the idea.[14] Eisenkot said he had anticipated forming a centrist "super-party" amongst the three of them, but was informed by phone about the Together alliance "minutes before it was publicly announced."[15]

According to a Reshet Bet report from 28 April, Yesh Atid will be given 10 of the top 24 seats on the party's 2026 electoral list.[16]

Platform

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Together has not officially released a platform, but there are several points of commonality between Yesh Atid's platform and announcements made by Bennett during the organization of Bennett 2026.

Constitutionalism and law

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Constitutionalism

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During the first rally for the new party, Bennett announced that the party would create an Israeli Constitution "in the spirit of the declaration of Independence".[17] This follows earlier announcements,[18] and a platform pillar published by Yesh Atid.[19] Separately, both parties have committed to term limits for the Prime Minister, and other constitutional reforms.[note 1][20][19][21]

State Commission into 7 October

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While a citizen led investigation into 7 October has commenced, the Israeli government has rejected calls for a full scale, apolitical, State Commission of Inquiry.[22] Bennett announced that his government's first action would be forming such a commission,[17] which follows earlier commitments from both Bennett and Yesh Atid.[20][19]

Law and order in the Negev

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Bennett and Lapid intend to fight the crime wave in Israel's southern Negev region.[23] In part, the plan includes mandatory minimum sentences for certain crimes, and increasing the presence of the Shin Bet in the region.[23] Additionally, the entire Negev region would be declared to be under a state of emergency, and protection racket and agricultural crime would be defined as terrorism against the state.[23]

Economy

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On 12 February 2026, Bennett stated that lowering the cost of living would be a major priority for his government, pledging to "break monopolies, break up cartels, open the market, open exports, imports, competition", and cut regulations to lower prices.[24] He also committed to funding the Israeli Periphery (the Golan Heights and the Negev) with tax cuts, grants, and a plan to double the population within 10 years.[note 2]

The Together party also said that they would reduce the phenomenon of 'Coalition Funds', where large sums of government money is promised to special interests in exchange for supporting a coalition.[25]

Veterans benefits

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In January 2026, Bennett presented a proposal called the "Servants Law",[note 3] which would provide extensive benefits to IDF veterans and reservists.[26] Lapid has called for removing benefits from draft dodgers, which would save 60 billion shekels each year.[19]

Public transportation

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Investment into public transportation, with increasing the amount of high speed rail in the country and improving the reliability of buses.[27][28] Additionally, creating a national plan to fight congestion, and transferring transit planning to local authorities, including the authority to run transit on shabbat.[27][28][29][19]

Retiree benefits

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Linking the Bituah Leumi retirement benefits to the average salary, and doubling pensions for retirees whose personal pension is less than 6,000 NIS per month.[27][28]

Housing

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Lapid announced that their government would expand the state-sponsored long term rental program, and give all tenants of those properties the right to buy the property after ten years, in a lease purchase contract arragement. [27][28]

Healthcare

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Increasing funding for mental health in the Israeli Health Basket, and increasing the amount and availability of mental health professionals.[27][28]

Education

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Merging the four-streamed education system into a single, national curriculum.[17][19] In their plan to improve the Negev, Together said that they would address the teacher crisis in the Bedouin education system. Building on the law that removed recognition from teaching degrees earned under the Palestinian authority, they would fast track qualifications for Arabic speaking teachers.[23]

Yair Lapid announced that they would lengthen the school day until 4pm, and fund classes, extracurriculars, and school meals.[27][28]

The religious status quo

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Military service

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Both Bennett and Lapid support mandating Haredi conscription to the Israel Defense Forces.[30][19] Bennett promised to establish a commission to investigate what he called the "sabotage of Haredi enlistment", pledging that "everyone who knowingly took part in violating the Security Service Law during wartime will be investigated."[31]

Judaism and the state

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Both Bennett and Lapid have said that they believed that cities should be allowed to implement their own policies around public transportation on Shabbat and support breaking the monopoly of the Rabbinate on marriage in Israel by allowing for civil marriage.[29][19]

Education

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The party announced plans to unify the fractured education system, which is currently separated into four distinct streams: Secular Jewish, Religious Jewish, Haredi, and Arab.[17] This would entail a common curriculum, which was also announced by Yesh Atid,[19] that would highlight Israel and a national identity.[23]

Furthermore, they would remove funding from organizations that are against the common draft.[17]

Composition

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In the lead up to the 2026 Israeli legislative election, Bennett and Lapid unified their two political parties into a single coalition.

Name Ideology Position Leader
Bennett 2026 Zionism
Economic liberalism
Centrism (self-proclaimed)		 Center-right Naftali Bennett
Yesh Atid Liberal Zionism
Liberalism
Secularism		 Center Yair Lapid

Bennett 2026

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Bennett had expressed interest in running again for prime minister going as far back as 2024.[32] This was confirmed when he registered his party in April 2025 under the temporary name "Bennett 2026," apparently abandoning his older affiliations with New Right and Yamina.[33] Bennett confirmed he was running for the position of prime minister again in a talk at Yeshiva University on 11 November 2025.[34]

Bennett is intending to maintain close control over the party, managing it until 2034, being the only person selecting candidates for the party's electoral lists and choosing government ministers in hopes of preventing the situation he was put in as prime minister in 2021 which led to his government's collapse.[35]

Bennett promised to form a broad centrist Zionist unity government with Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu parties in a speech he gave at a conference in Kfar Saba. In that same speech, he promised to impose term limits on the position of prime minister and draft a formal constitution for Israel.[18] In a speech to olim in Tel Aviv, he also initiate a state commission into how the 7 October massacres were able to happen, to pass a law enforcing Haredi conscription, to decrease the cost of living by breaking up monopolies and deregulating the economy, and to focus on law and order.[36]

Electoral list

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Electoral slate positions have only been announced for Bennett and Lapid. Subsequent entries are added in the order announced.

# Name Party Positions Ref
1 Naftali Bennett Bennett 2026 Former prime minister of Israel (2021–2022) [37]
2 Yair Lapid Yesh Atid Former prime minister of Israel (2022) [37]
= Keren Terner Eyal Bennett 2026 Director General of the Ministry of Transportation and Road Safety (2016–2020)

Director General of the Ministry of Finance (2020–2021)

 [38]
= Liran Avisar Ben Horin [he] Bennett 2026 Director General of the Ministry of Communications (2020–2023) [38]
= Yonatan Shalev [he] Bennett 2026

Founded Shoulder to Shoulder

[39]
= Michal Negri Bennett 2026 Director General of the Ra'anana municipality [40]


Notes

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  1. ↑ A draft of his proposed amendment to Basic Law: The Government was posted to his website: https://bennett2026.org.il/hok-yesod-1/
  2. ↑ The proposal was posted to his website: https://bennett2026.org.il/kiryat-shmona/
  3. ↑ The proposal was posted to his website: https://bennett2026.org.il/meshartim/

References

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  1. ↑ Schneider, Tal; Horovitz, David (14 June 2026). "Bennett to ToI: 'We're at an existential moment. Another four years with this government, we won't have a society'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  2. ↑ Sokol, Sam (27 April 2026). "Launching joint slate, Bennett and Lapid promise 'the era of division is over'". The Times of Israel. We are uniting today to win the elections and to establish a Zionist government, strong and stable. A partnership between the center and right
  3. ↑ "Bennett-Lapid government wins Knesset majority; Netanyahu is out after 12 years". The Times of Israel. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Spiro, Amy (1 July 2022). "Yair Lapid takes over as Israel's 14th prime minister". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "N12 – רה"מ נפתלי בנט הודיע: "לא אתמודד בבחירות הקרובות לכנסת"" [Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced: 'I will not run in the next Knesset election']. Mako (in Hebrew). 29 June 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Knell, Yollande; Gritten, David (29 December 2022). "Netanyahu's hard-line new government takes office in Israel". BBC News. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Naftali Bennett 2026 party emerges, could challenge Benjamin Netanyahu in future election". The Jerusalem Post. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "נתניהו צריך לדאוג: לפיד מאשר איחוד עם בנט ואיזנקוט - "זה מתקדם"" [Netanyahu should worry: Lapid confirms unity with Bennett and Eisenkot - 'It's progressing']. Maariv (in Hebrew). 2026. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  9. ↑ "סדרת הפגישות באופוזיציה ותיאום העמדות: המגעים והניסיון לאיחוד דרמטי" [The series of meetings in the opposition and the coordination of positions: the contacts and the attempt at dramatic unification]. N12 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  10. ↑ Segal, Amit. "בדרך למפץ פוליטי? איזנקוט הציע ללפיד ובנט לחבור לרשימה מאוחדת | פרסום ראשון" [On the way to a political explosion? Eisenkot suggested that Lapid and Bennett join a united list]. N12 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Sokol, Sam (26 April 2026). "Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announce united run under Bennett in 2026 elections". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  12. ↑ Azulay, Moran (26 April 2026). "Bennett, Lapid announce joint run: 'Fateful moments require bold steps'". Ynet. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  13. ↑ Azulay, Moran (26 April 2026). "בנט: אני ימין, לא אסתמך על המפלגות הערביות. לפיד: המרכז הישראלי צריך להתייצב מאחוריו" [Bennett: I am right-wing, I will not rely on the Arab parties. Lapid: The Israeli center should stand behind him]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  14. ↑ Sokol, Sam; Karmel, Ariela (28 April 2026). "Lapid said willing to drop to third spot on ticket with Bennett if Eisenkot joins". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  15. ↑ Sokol, Sam (10 May 2026). "Eisenkot says Bennett-Lapid uniting without him is 'not how you build partnerships'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Neev, Keshet; Genn, James (28 April 2025). "Lapid offers to concede second spot on joint list with Bennett to bring Eisenkot in". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Sokol, Sam; Staff, ToI (12 May 2026). "At new party's first rally, Bennett vows to 'unite the nation' and enact constitution". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  18. 1 2 "Bennett says government full of 'stupid ministers,' plans to form united centrist party". The Times of Israel. 7 September 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "נחזור, נתקן" [We will return, we will fix it] (in Hebrew). Yesh Atid. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  20. 1 2 Sokol, Sam (25 September 2025). "Naftali Bennett says first move as PM would be setting term limit for the post". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  21. ↑ פרוידיגר, דוד (25 September 2025). "בנט מודיע: זה החוק שיעבור ביום הראשון שלי בממשלה" [Bennett announces: "This is the law that will be passed on my first day in government."]. חדשות סרוגים (in Hebrew). Srugim. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Berman, Lazar (19 January 2026). "Netanyahu rejects October 7 state inquiry, claims he has 'nothing to hide'". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Bushri, Hodiya (17 May 2026). "בשיטת המקל והגזר: "תוכנית הריבונות" של בנט להחזרת המשילות בנגב" [Using the carrot and stick method: Bennett's "sovereignty plan" to restore governance in the Negev] (in Hebrew). Israel Hayom.
  24. ↑ Neev, Keshet (12 February 2026). "Bennett pledges security focus and cost of living cuts in comeback bid campaign". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
  25. ↑ Baum, Ido (18 May 2026). ""ימין כלכלי ליברלי": האריזה של בנט חדשה, אבל אולי ההיגיון הכלכלי ישן?" ["Liberal economic right": Bennett's packaging is new, but maybe the economic logic is old?] (in Hebrew). TheMarker.
  26. ↑ Karmel, Ariela (5 January 2026). "Gearing up for election, Bennett unveils 'flagship' proposal upping soldiers' benefits". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lapid, Yair [@yairlapid] (19 May 2026). "חמישה דברים שממשלה נורמלית תעשה למען אזרחיה" [Five things a normal government would do for its citizens] (Tweet) (in Hebrew) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lapid, Yair (19 May 2026). "זה אפשרי. בקרוב זה יקרה" [It's possible. It will happen soon.]. Instagram (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  29. 1 2 Sokol, Sam (20 April 2026). "Ex-PM Bennett backs public transport on Shabbat, civil marriage, sparking Haredi backlash". The Times of Israel.
  30. ↑ ירושלמי, שלום (10 September 2025). "בנט תוקף את שרי הממשלה, אבל אין לו מסלול להקמת ממשלה בלי תמיכת רע"ם" [Bennett attacks the government ministers, but he has no path to forming a government without the support of Ra'am]. Zman Israel (in Hebrew). Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  31. ↑ Sokol, Sam (30 March 2026). "Bennett vows to investigate "sabotage of Haredi enlistment" if elected PM". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Reports state that Naftali Bennett may return to Israeli politics". The Jerusalem Post. 15 September 2024.
  33. ↑ "Naftali Bennett 2026 party emerges, could challenge Benjamin Netanyahu in future election". The Jerusalem Post. 1 April 2025.
  34. ↑ "'I'm running for prime minister,' Bennett says at Yeshiva event in NY". Jewish News Syndicate. 12 November 2025.
  35. ↑ Sokol, Sam (15 May 2025). "To prevent a repeat of defections, Bennett said seeking unprecedented control over new party". The Times of Israel.
  36. ↑ "Naftali Bennett unveils plan to reform Israel if reelected PM". The Jerusalem Post. 12 February 2026.
  37. 1 2 ג'ברה, עמית סגל, דביר (28 April 2026). "לפיד לבנט: מוכן לעבור למקום ה-3 ברשימה לטובת איחוד עם איזנקוט" [Lapid: Ready to move to 3rd place on the list in favor of unification with Eisenkot"]. N12 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 28 April 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. 1 2 "Bennett names 2 female ex-senior officials as 1st members of party's electoral slate". The Times of Israel. 12 April 2026. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  39. ↑ Sokol, Sam (15 April 2026). "Bennett names 23-year-old reservist activist Yonatan Shalev to party slate". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  40. ↑ Sokol, Sam (16 June 2026). "Bennett's party adds former Ra'anana director general Michal Negri to slate". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
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