Bennett, Eisenkot and Lapid said holding contacts on forming joint ‘New Israel’ party |
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, ex-chief of the military Gadi Eisenkot, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid are holding contacts on the potential formation of a new joint party called “New Israel,” Channel 12 news reported.
According to the unsourced report, representatives for the three men are discussing a merger ahead of the upcoming elections, set for October, hoping to present a united front against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
One idea being discussed, the report said, is to hold primaries in 15 locations nationwide to determine who should lead the merged list in the general election. The merger and primary proposal were put to respondents in a recent poll conducted by one of the parties, the report said.
Eisenkot, who heads the Yashar! party and is a former IDF chief of staff, was first reported to have proposed a merger in January with Bennett and Lapid, both of whom have courted the former IDF commander for their own parties.
Yashar! and Bennett 2026 have consistently polled in recent months as the strongest parties in the opposition bloc, with surveys showing they would be the........