Bennett vows to ‘set aside ego’ to form coalition; Lapid: ‘The State of Israel has saved itself’

By Nava Freiberg

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and Shira Silkoff Today, 1:19 am

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B'Yachad leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid at the party’s election headquarters in Tel Aviv, following the closing of polling stations and the release of exit poll results, October 28, 2026. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

B’Yachad chair Naftali Bennett and his No. 2, Yair Lapid, address cheering supporters at their election headquarters in Tel Aviv in their first appearance following the 10 p.m. exit polls, which showed his party winning between 13 and 14 seats.

Bennett declares that Netanyahu has lost the election, hailing the projected decrease of his bloc from 68 to 50 seats.

“The people of Israel have stood up and spoken: Netanyahu has lost and the October 7th Government is going home!” the B’Yachad leader says in Hebrew at his party headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Bennett acknowledges that the final results could still change, but says opposition leaders are already working on efforts to form a government.

He appears to indirectly address concerns that B’Yachad won’t nominate Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister despite his party being the largest in the anti-Netanyahu bloc.

He says B’Yachad will do “everything” and “set aside all ego” to allow for the creation of a “government of ‘doers’ that will manage the country responsibly and serve the entire nation of Israel.”

“Now let’s get to work, we have a country to mend,” he says.

Lapid, speaking after Bennett, says “the State of Israel has saved itself today.”

“Benjamin Netanyahu and his government collapsed today; this was a total defeat,” he declares. “The people of Israel have won. We are the majority.”

He insists that the opposition has a mandate to form the next government despite exit polls showing no clear majority.

“The mission is clear: to form a Zionist government. It may not be perfect on day one, but we will strengthen it going forward. It may not be a broad coalition on day one, but we will expand it going forward.”