Two former Israeli prime ministers agree to merge parties against Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (AP) — Two Israeli governmental heavyweights connected Sunday said they would articulation forces successful upcoming elections successful a shared effort to unseat longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid served arsenic premier ministers successful a rotation statement arsenic portion of a conjugation authorities they formed successful 2021. They present program to merge their parties into azygous faction headed by Bennett.

“The determination is intended to unite the bloc, enactment an extremity to interior divisions and absorption each efforts connected winning the captious upcoming elections,” Lapid's Yesh Atid enactment said successful a statement.

Bennett and Lapid scheduled a associated quality league aboriginal connected Sunday.

The 2021 conjugation statement ended 12 years of Netanyahu rule. Bennett served arsenic premier curate for the archetypal twelvemonth until their conjugation fractured. Lapid past held the apical occupation arsenic caretaker premier curate for the last six months until caller elections brought Netanyahu backmost to power.

Lapid has served arsenic Israel's absorption person since that time, portion Bennett took a interruption from politics.

The 2 men person ideological differences. Bennett is an Orthodox Jew with hard-line views toward the Palestinians, portion Lapid is secular and seen arsenic much moderate. But they enjoyed a adjacent moving narration during their short-lived coalition.

Their confederation is aimed astatine uniting a fragmented absorption that appears to person small successful communal beyond their shared hostility toward Netanyahu.

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