Lapid Secures Major Seat Allocation in New Together Alliance With Bennett Amid Slumping Election Polls

Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid joins Naftali Bennett in a new electoral slate. The Together alliance aims to boost seat counts as opposition parties consolidate power.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 28, 2026, 4:34 PM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from The Times of Israel

Tactical Merger Aimed at Consolidating Opposition Power

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett have announced the formation of a joint electoral list named Together, a move designed to stabilize their political standing ahead of the upcoming national vote. Under the terms of the agreement, Lapid’s Yesh Atid party is poised to secure between 10 and 12 of the top 29 spots on the combined slate. This arrangement serves as a vital lifeline for Yesh Atid, which has recently seen its support crater in public opinion polls. According to data provided by Channel 12, the alliance seeks to prevent the fragmentation of the center left vote by pooling resources under Bennett’s leadership, who currently enjoys higher personal favorability ratings than Lapid.

Disproportionate Seat Allocation Favors Ailing Yesh Atid

The proposed division of the electoral list offers Yesh Atid a representation that significantly exceeds its current solo polling trajectory. While recent surveys suggested the party might only achieve single digit seat totals, the merger with Bennett could effectively double or triple its legislative footprint. Political analysts suggest that Bennett has conceded these spots to ensure a swift unification, prioritizing the scale of the alliance over the specific composition of his own faction. However, the Kan public broadcaster reports that this union may be a marriage of convenience, as Lapid reportedly intends to split his faction from the joint list immediately following the election to maintain an independent parliamentary identity.

Eisenkot Factor Remains a Critical Variable

The final structure of the Together list remains contingent on the decision of Gadi Eisenkot, the chairman of the Yashar party. Sources close to the negotiations indicate that if Eisenkot agrees to join the alliance, Yesh Atid’s share of the top spots would likely be diluted to roughly 12 out of the first 40 positions. In an effort to facilitate a broader opposition front, Lapid has expressed a willingness to drop to the third spot on the slate, allowing Eisenkot to take the second position behind Bennett. Despite these overtures, representatives for Eisenkot have remained noncommittal, stating that their primary interest is the overall victory of the political bloc rather than the specific placement of individuals.