The new alliance between former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid will not dissolve Yesh Atid, and it has received a positive response from both party members and the public, Yesh Atid MKs Merav Ben-Ari and Vladimir Beliak told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday, speaking on strategy behind the move.
Ben-Ari, who serves as opposition coordinator in the Knesset, described the merger as “an amazing thing,” and said that it has given hope to many citizens in the country.
Lipid’s centrist Yesh Atid Party and Bennett’s Center Right party will run in the upcoming elections under a single ticket named Together, to be led by Bennett.
The move, announced on Sunday, could reshape the direction of the elections and has raised questions about how Yesh Atid will be affected now that it is to run in a list with Bennett at its head.
The alliance is said to be aimed at uniting the opposition bloc and boosting its chances of unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in elections scheduled to take place no later than October.
Ben-Ari told the Post that the alliance reflects Lapid’s leadership and shows he “truly knows how to put his ego aside and act for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel.”
When asked about the response within Yesh Atid, Ben-Ari said there has been a positive atmosphere in the party, with MKs showing strong support for the alliance.
“People were supportive and encouraging. It got strong backing,” she said, adding that the public and Yesh Atid voters have responded positively to the alliance.
Beliak also said that the alliance was well-received in the party and that there was “support from all the [Yesh Atid] MKs for this move.”
Ben-Ari said she could not go into details of the agreement but expressed that she was confident about Yesh Atid’s continued presence. “There will definitely be enough room within this merger,” she said.
“It’s clear to me there will be more people from Bennett’s side, simply because he has more mandates. But there will still be many from Yesh Atid as well,” she added.
Lapid has also expressed willingness to drop from second to third place on the Together list in an effort to bring on board Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar! Party. Bennett and Lapid have called on Eisenkot to join, though he has not yet accepted the offer.
Ben-Ari also invited Eisenkot to join and said she “really hopes” he accepts. She explained that his incorporation could increase the opposition bloc’s chances of unseating Netanyahu and that the alliance would “be the solution for right-wing voters who don’t want the current government.”
Almost all of Yesh Atid’s values are also Bennett’s
When asked whether Yesh Atid’s values would remain intact despite differences between the parties, Ben-Ari said there was significant overlap in views.
“About 90% of Yesh Atid’s values are also Bennett’s,” she said, referring to alignment on issues such as equality of burden in military or civic service, and preventing draft evasion, along with support for a free-market economy.
She added that the two leaders had been advancing similar ideas for over a decade and that “there’s very strong trust between them.”
Beliak said the merger was part of a broader strategic effort ahead of the elections.
“I’ve said more than once, on every platform, that we will do everything, as Yesh Atid, to win the elections. We are working on building the right structure for victory, the right structure for the bloc,” he explained.
“After conducting all the checks and research, we came to the conclusion that the right way for the liberal camp to win is to unite behind Naftali Bennett. Therefore, this merger is the right move on the path to victory,” he added.
Beliak also said Lapid has consistently shown he is willing to “put his ego aside and do what is right for the future of the State of Israel, for repair and change in Israeli society. And that’s what he’s doing this time as well.”
While details of the agreement have not yet been fully published, Beliak clarified that the arrangement is “a technical bloc, meaning a bloc of two parties or two lists,” he said. “Yesh Atid is not dissolving. Yesh Atid will continue to exist,” he added.
He explained that the plan is to form a joint faction in the Knesset after the elections, made up of a few parties, with the intention of becoming “the largest faction in the Knesset,” with the hope of adding Eisenkot as well.
“We look at reality very soberly and move forward with this merger, understanding that it’s the right thing to do.”
He also noted that without Eisenkot, “the move isn’t complete yet.”
“Our door remains open to Gadi Eisenkot, and we invite him to join,” he said.
Yesh Atid first entered the Knesset in 2013. Founded by Lapid, it won 24 seats in the last elections, becoming the second-largest party in the Knesset, and its MKs play a prominent role in the opposition. Before the merger, Yesh Atid had been polling at around seven seats.
