New Israeli coalition: who are Bennett and Lapid (in their own words)?

Synopsis

In the last two years, Israel has been thrown into a political whirlpool with four election cycles, as no coalition has managed to last. Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been Prime Minister since 2009, faces a challenge from the new duo of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. Bennett, a right-wing nationalist and former director general of the settlers lobby organization Yesha Council, teams up with Lapid, a centrist and son of a Holocaust survivor. Their partnership aims to unseat Netanyahu after his 12-year reign. The two politicians, despite coming from opposing political blocs, share some common ground on key issues, particularly regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Their past interviews from 2015 and 2017 provide insight into their views, especially on the long-term solution to the conflict, which remains a contentious topic. The new government’s stance on Palestinian statehood is uncertain, as both leaders have expressed differing opinions on the peace process, with Bennett previously calling it 'suicide.'