Story perspectives

Bennett, Lapid Merge; Call Hamas Inquiry, Draft Ultra-Orthodox

4/29/2026

Left

Bennett Leads Coalition

The alliance vowed to create a commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack and to mandate ultra-Orthodox military service.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid merged their parties into the Together list, naming Bennett its leader.
April polls gave Bennett’s bloc 21 seats, Likud 25, and 76 % of Israelis losing trust.
Bennett limited coalition to Zionist parties, barring Arab-led groups, with Gilad Kariv welcoming the move.

Right

Bennett-Lapid Pledge

The Bennett-Lapid alliance pledged to keep Israel’s security posture and foreign policy unchanged.
Hezbollah launched a drone strike in Lebanon, killing one Israeli soldier and wounding six, raising the death toll to 16.
Naftali Bennett will head the new Together list for Israel’s upcoming election.
Yair Lapid said the merger ends divisions and sharpens focus on winning the October vote.

Blindspot

Left coverage emphasized the coalition’s decision to exclude Arab-led parties, a detail absent from Right coverage.
Left coverage highlighted the pledge to explicitly create a national commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack, which Right coverage did not include.

History

Historical Context

On 17 May 1977 the Likud party led by Menachem Begin won 43 of 120 Knesset seats, ending the Alignment’s three-decade rule and forming Israel’s first right-wing government on 21 June after Yitzhak Rabin’s resignation. The cabinet faced high inflation and opened informal talks with Egypt, leading to President Anwar Sadat’s historic visit later that year. This ‘Mahapach’ created partisan divides that the 2022 Bennett-Lapid alliance now echoes.

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Bennett Leads Coalition

The alliance vowed to create a commission of inquiry into the October 7 Hamas attack and to mandate ultra-Orthodox military service.
Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid merged their parties into the Together list, naming Bennett its leader.
April polls gave Bennett’s bloc 21 seats, Likud 25, and 76 % of Israelis losing trust.
Bennett limited coalition to Zionist parties, barring Arab-led groups, with Gilad Kariv welcoming the move.

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