Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot privately described the alliance between former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid as a “deep disappointment” and said it took him days to process the news of the merger, which happened behind his back, according to recordings aired by Channel 12 news.
Speaking at a closed-door conference this week, Eisenkot said he initially tried not to “get dragged into negativity,” telling himself that Bennett and Lapid were each acting in their own political interests.
“But it was a blow,” Eisenkot is heard saying. “I asked myself how we got to this situation. I thought we were a united team.”
According to Channel 12, Eisenkot’s decision on whether to join Bennett and Lapid in an alliance could come within weeks, as the polling picture becomes clearer.
“The question is whether we open a new path, a different path, together with partners for this purpose,” Eisenkot says in the recoding.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
