Former MK Gadi Eisenkot called on his former political partner, Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz, to step down should his party remain close to the electoral threshold in an interview with Army Radio on Thursday.
"If Gantz is around the threshold, he should step down," Eisenkot stated.
Blue and White responded to his statement, saying, "We suggest that Gadi stop dealing with polls, some of which show that he himself does not pass the electoral threshold, in elections that unfortunately have not yet been announced, and begin to focus on what can be done today for the hostages, for the soldiers, for the state.”
Eisenkot, who served as the party's number two, announced in late June that he was leaving the party and resigning from the Knesset.
Gantz failed to deliver on promises to Eisenkot
Eisenkot ran alongside Gantz in the 2022 election after receiving guarantees that the party would undergo a “democratization” process that would include a primary election, including for party leadership. However, Gantz failed to deliver on that process.
A Channel 13 poll from Wednesday found that Gantz's Blue and White would win four seats, while a Maariv survey revealed that his party would fail to cross the electoral threshold.
The Maariv poll found that a new party led by Gadi Eisenkot would receive 9 mandates.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.