Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that they will run together in this year's elections, aiming to unseat incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lapid, head of the centrist Yesh Atid party, said in a statement that the move intends to "unite the bloc, put an end to internal divisions and focus all efforts on winning the critical upcoming elections."

Lapid and Bennett, a right-wing figure who supports West Bank settlements, served as prime ministers in a rotation arrangement within a coalition government from June 2021 to December 2022.

That coalition ended Netanyahu's 12-year consecutive rule and marked the first time an independent Arab party, Ra'am, formally joined an Israeli coalition.

Netanyahu returned to office in December 2022 after snap elections, heading what critics call the most far-right government in Israeli history, composed of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties.

Since then, Lapid has served as opposition leader, while Bennett has taken a break from politics.