Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz announced on Monday that his party would withdraw from the election race, just over a week before the October 27 election.
The announcement came as polling has continuously shown Gantz’s party failing to cross the electoral threshold.
“I will not run in the upcoming election. I will continue fighting for unity. It is the only solution that will prevent another disaster and protect Israel against all challenges, at home and abroad,” Gantz said, while announcing his decision.
Later in the evening, he held a press conference in which he took responsibility for his party’s failure to gain sufficient public support.
“Unfortunately, at this time, I have not succeeded in convincing enough of the public of our path, and the responsibility is mine,” he said.
“I remain convinced that our path is the right one,” Gantz added.
He reiterated his calls for a “broad Zionist government,” stating that a Zionist unity government that crosses political blocs “is greater than any individual or party, and it is the only solution in light of the challenges, dangers, and opportunities facing the people of Israel.”
Gantz then stated that he was addressing public leaders from across the political spectrum, saying that for the first time in eight years, he was doing so “not as a political rival but as a citizen of the State of Israel.”
“Do not take us back to October 6. Be brave enough to bring about real change,” he said.
“Set aside old perceptions and do not give in to the old partisan divisions. I warn you: If this does not happen, the nation will continue to be torn apart, and we will face another election or, God forbid, another disaster,” he added.
Gantz’s party had faced a series of departures by lawmakers who are now members of the Yashar party led by Gadi Eisenkot, once Gantz’s second-in-command in the military and a senior figure in the Gantz-led National Unity party bloc.
Blue and White had also distanced itself from the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Gantz had called for a “broad Zionist government,” indicating his willingness to sit in a government with Netanyahu. He has been sharply criticized for his back-and-forth approach with the prime minister.
Gantz entered politics with a military background as chief of staff, gained broad public support, and was once seen as one of Netanyahu’s strongest rivals. He held a centrist stance and, in the string of elections between 2019 and 2020, managed to both tie and later surpass the Likud, reaching 33 seats. Gantz went on to serve in two unity governments with Netanyahu.
Gantz’s party launched a new election campaign just last week under the slogan “Choose unity, save the country,” seeking to appeal to voters who identify with neither of the two political blocs.
Gantz also addressed his party’s poor polling numbers in an interview with Yinon Magal and Ben Caspit on 103FM radio on Tuesday, insisting he did not need anyone’s permission to remain in the race.
“I do not need anyone’s permission to continue running,” he said. “It is my democratic right and my duty to tell the people what they need. If you see a Blue and White ballot headed by Benny Gantz, it means I am crossing the electoral threshold.”
Party leaders in the opposition bloc had called for Gantz to withdraw from the elections to reduce the chance of wasting votes if the party failed to pass the electoral threshold.
Opposition party leaders, Gantz's former allies praise his decision to step down, court voters
Eisenkot thanked Gantz for what he called the “correct and responsible decision to withdraw from the most consequential elections since the establishment of the State of Israel.”
“I thank him for his many years of service to Israel’s security and am confident that he will continue to contribute to Israeli society in the future,” Eisenkot said.
Democrats head Yair Golan, who succeeded Eisenkot as Gantz’s deputy chief of staff in the IDF, also praised Blue and White’s departure from the race, saying the bloc had a “shared responsibility to ensure the victory of the change bloc.”
“The Democrats are committed to change and genuine reform and to a Jewish, democratic, liberal, strong, and secure Israel. This is the path we will pursue in the next government as well.”
Additionally, Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Reservists and Economic Party and former Blue and White member, thanked Gantz for his service to the country while calling on his voters to instead turn to his own party.
“I call on voters from the third bloc to join us. Now, more than ever, it is clear that the only way to establish a Zionist government is to vote for the Reservists and Economic Party.”