Overview
- Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid launched the Together bloc to contest the 2026 elections, with Bennett unveiling an Israeli Renaissance plan that includes a goal to attract one million immigrants.
- A Lazar Research/Panel4All survey rates Bennett at 46% and Gadi Eisenkot at 44% as more suitable for prime minister than Benjamin Netanyahu at 41%.
- Seat projections remain mixed, with Channel 12 estimating Together at about 26 Knesset seats while another reading shows the merger’s combined tally slipping to 28 from 31.
- Prediction markets show only modest, shifting odds that Netanyahu leaves office this year, with the June 30 contract now near 4.5% after touching 6% earlier in the week.
- Israel’s security cabinet plans to consider renewed Gaza operations, a live factor that could shift voter views and coalition math even as a Bank of Israel forecast of 3.8% growth in 2026 points to economic stability.