Launching joint slate, Bennett and Lapid promise ‘the era of division is over’

Joining with Yesh Atid chairman and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid is the “most Zionist and patriotic act we have ever done, for the sake of our country,” former prime minister Naftali Bennett tells reporters in the coastal city of Herzliya at a press conference formally announcing the formation of their new joint slate.

“Tonight, we are uniting and establishing the Together party under my leadership, a party that will lead to a great victory, and the opening of a new era for our beloved country,” Bennett says, stating that while he and Lapid “have different opinions on a variety of issues,” he is proud that they “can fight together for the good of the people of Israel, just as our children, our soldiers, fight shoulder to shoulder.

“Our unity is a message to the entire people of Israel: The era of division is over. The era of correction has arrived,” Bennett says, insisting that during their previous short-lived government, he and Lapid “accomplished in one year what other governments have not done in four” by improving the economy, stopping Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy of transferring suitcases of Qatari cash to Hamas and returning “personal security to the streets.”

Bennett promises a government of “professionals” who “think only of the good of Israel” and says he will enter office with plans ready to go “so as not to waste a single moment.”

“On the first day of the new government under my leadership, a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre will be established to bring truth to the families, and answers to all the people of Israel,” he continues, further promising to immediately stop funding for draft evaders, impose a prime ministerial term limit that will also apply to himself and “strengthen a Judaism that brings [people] together, is kind and inclusive, without coercion.”

Insisting that he and Lapid are “racing forward to victory,” Bennett invites Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot to join them, stating that “our door is open for you too.”

Bennett further insists that he is a “right-wing, liberal Zionist” who will only rely on Zionist parties for his coalition and that all Israelis, even those who do not vote for him, will feel supported by the government.

“We’re not in the left bloc or the right bloc, we’re in the block of the entire Jewish people,” he says.

Lapid, in turn, declares that “the State of Israel needs to change direction. This is a test of our leadership — and we will meet it. What you see here today is the first step. We are here because this country needs unity as much as it needs air to breathe.”

Lapid and his party are “putting ego aside and doing what is right for the State of Israel,” he says, insisting that “to win the elections, the entire Israeli center must stand behind Naftali Bennett.”

“I am not trying to blur differences or disagreements, but there has always been something else between us: trust and friendship. We have known each other for many years. We have been through a great deal together. We have made difficult decisions together. We know we can count on one another. There is trust and there is friendship between us,” Lapid says.

“We are uniting today to win the elections and to establish a Zionist government, strong and stable. A partnership between the center and right, between religious and secular, between north and south — without draft dodging and without extremism,” he continues.

“Israel has the best people in the world. They deserve an efficient, functioning, honest government, one that invests in the working public that serves in the army, in reservists and their families. A government that will provide security, focus on education, lower prices, fight corruption, and draft the Haredim.”