Eisenkot and Gantz laud Bennett-Lapid merger

By Ariela Karmel

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26 April 2026, 5:55 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Blue and White Party chief MK Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, who is widely viewed as a major contender in the next election, frames the Bennett-Lapid merger as part of a wider effort to unseat the current government.

“The goal of winning the critical elections ahead of us is a shared one,” Eisenkot writes, calling Bennett and Lapid “partners” and pledging to continue acting “responsibly and wisely” to achieve “the victory and change required for the State of Israel.”

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz welcomes the move, but says that “the real connection” Israel requires is “between all parts of the people — without boycotts and without hatred.”

Gantz argues that only a “broad Zionist unity government” that excludes extremists can move the country forward. He has previously sought to promote the formation of a broad-based government and, unlike other opposition parties, is open to sitting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.