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Bennett 2026

L-R: Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot seen during a visit to Kibbutz Yiftah near the Israeli border with Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90); opposition leader and head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid in the Knesset, March 30, 2026. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90); former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends a funeral at the Military Cemetery in Beit She'an on April 9, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)
May 10, 2026, 4:55 pm
Eisenkot says Bennett-Lapid uniting without him is ‘not how you build partnerships’
Yashar chairman tells party activists he wanted to join merger, condensing Zionist opposition into three separate slates representing left, right and center
By Sam Sokol
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, left, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid formally announce the formation of their new political union titled Together, in Herzliya, April 26, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
April 27, 2026, 2:09 am
Launching joint slate, Bennett and Lapid promise ‘the era of division is over’
‘We are uniting today to win the elections and to establish a Zionist government,’ says Lapid. ‘To win the elections, the entire Israeli center must stand behind Naftali Bennett’
By Sam Sokol
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, right, and former prime minister Naftali Bennett at a press conference announcing a joint slate named “Together” ahead of upcoming elections in Herzliya, central Israel, April 26, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
April 26, 2026, 7:35 pm
Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid announce united run under Bennett in 2026 elections
Bennett invites Gadi Eisenkot to join their ‘Together’ slate, declares that ‘the era of division is over’; Lapid calls on entire nation to rally behind new leader
By Sam Sokol
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 17, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)
April 25, 2026, 4:09 pm
Backing public transit on Shabbat, Bennett steers campaign into jammed center lane
No longer constrained by right-wing niche, former PM seeks broader appeal — but he may end up only drawing votes away from his potential coalition partners
By Sam Sokol
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett at an event to introduce his new plan for disabled citizens in Bnei Brak, April 16, 2026. (Sam Sokol/Times of Israel.)
April 17, 2026, 4:16 am
Bennett unveils plan for increasing disability access across Israel
‘Accessibility is not a side issue. It is the heart of our society,’ says ex-prime minister; pledges to integrate the disabled into the workforce and IDF
By Sam Sokol
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett (right) with activist Yonatan Shalev in a photo released on April 15, 2026 (Courtesy Bennett 2026)
April 15, 2026, 6:12 pm
Bennett names 23-year-old reservist activist Yonatan Shalev to party slate
Fledgling politician’s Shoulder to Shoulder movement says only Bennett ‘has proven that he will fix Israel and build a better future’; Lapid welcomes newcomer to politics
By Sam Sokol
Former premier and 2026 Knesset candidate Naftali Bennett (center) poses with Liran Avisar Ben-Horin (left) and Keren Terner (right), candidates on his 'Bennett 2026' slate, April 12, 2026. (Naftali Bennett on X)
April 12, 2026, 11:33 am
Bennett names 2 female ex-senior officials as 1st members of party’s electoral slate
Former PM praises former Finance Ministry head Keren Terner and ex-Communications Ministry chief Liran Avisar Ben-Horin, rejects Likud accusations of terrorist affiliation
By Ariela Karmel and ToI Staff
Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot visits Kibbutz Yiftah near the Israeli border with Lebanon amid the ongoing war with Iran and Hezbollah, March 9, 2026. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
March 19, 2026, 8:05 pm
In first, poll shows Eisenkot’s party overtaking Bennett’s as potential leader of anti-Netanyahu bloc
Ex-IDF chief’s Yashar hits 16 seats to Bennett’s 15, while Lapid’s Yesh Atid collapses to 5; Likud by far the biggest party at 28, but coalition slightly weaker; poll finds severe toll of war on work, mental health
By Tal Schneider and Ariela Karmel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara (not pictured) cast their vote during the elections for the Likud Central Committee, at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, November 25, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
March 5, 2026, 8:59 pm
Poll: Netanyahu’s Likud enjoys boost amid Iran war, but bloc he leads is no closer to majority
Likud’s increase from 27 to 31 seats comes at expense of PM’s coalition partners, leaving both major blocs unchanged at 53 seats each, with Arab parties and Gantz holding balance
By Tal Schneider and Ariela Karmel
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attends the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem, on February 17, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
February 20, 2026, 6:34 pm
Bennett says he won’t include Ben Gvir in any future government
Ex-PM, Netanyahu’s main election challenger, brands Ben Gvir a ‘failed minister,’ bully and racist, amid crime wave epidemic shaking Arab society
By ToI Staff, Ariela Karmel and Charlie Summers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and former prime minister Naftali Bennett (right) attend the funeral of Rabbi Haim Drukman, at Merkaz Shapira, near Kiryat Malachi, on December 26, 2022. (Gil Cohen-Magen/ AFP)
January 26, 2026, 11:37 am
Bennett files complaint against Likud over fake image of him with Arab party leaders
Ex-PM accuses Netanyahu’s party of ‘malicious forgery’ for inserting his image into photo of Arab politicians celebrating an agreement to work toward reviving Joint List
By Sam Sokol and ToI Staff
This composite image shows former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot (left), former prime minister Naftali Bennett (center) and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid at a march in support of conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, in Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash 90)
January 22, 2026, 10:53 pm
Polls: Bennett-Lapid-Eisenkot merger would be biggest party, but not change overall result
If the 3 anti-Netanyahu parties combine, they would garner 36 seats, Zman Yisrael survey shows, but Zman and Channel 12 say neither pro- nor anti-Netanyahu blocs would net majority
By Tal Schneider and ToI Staff
Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett (left) and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a cabinet meeting following the death of minister Uri Orbach, who passed away at the age of 54. February 16, 2015. (Haim Zach/GPO)
January 20, 2026, 11:52 am
Israel is approaching elections in a new era. There aren’t many new faces
The country has undergone seismic changes over the past two-plus years, but many of the politicians vying for votes are the same ones who ran more than a decade ago
By Ben Sales
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a conference in Jerusalem on November 19, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
January 5, 2026, 11:48 pm
Gearing up for election, Bennett unveils ‘flagship’ proposal upping soldiers’ benefits
In video statement, former prime minister says his bill will ’cause massive numbers of Haredi youths to join the IDF,’ says anyone joining his coalition must agree
By Ariela Karmel
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett holds an election event for women in Tel Aviv, December 3, 2025. (Tal Schneider/Times of Israel)
December 7, 2025, 7:06 pm
Courting women voters, Bennett vows to revolutionize female representation
At a campaign event for female activists, the former PM says 6 of his new party’s 9 co-founders are women — ‘not because they are women, but because they are excellent’
By Tal Schneider
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