Bennett reportedly weighs ending partnership with Lapid amid poll slump

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett has recently examined whether to break up his political partnership with opposition leader Yair Lapid, according to a report Monday night by Michael Shemesh on Channel 13. The move was reportedly considered because of poor polling, tensions inside the campaign, and disagreements between the two sides.

People close to Bennett said Lapid had not fulfilled commitments on campaign space, activists, and other issues, according to sources in the Together party. Last week, a senior figure in Bennett’s circle was quoted as saying, “Lapid is a bomb inside the campaign.”

At this stage, the chances of actually dissolving the partnership are unclear, though the option is said to remain on the table and could have major consequences. The Together party responded to the report with, “It never happened.”

Later Monday evening, Bennett addressed the matter at a press conference. He said, “Lapid and I are not only talking about unity, we are making unity. We will try to expand the alliance,” but he did not pledge to keep the partnership intact.