Senior Change Bloc Officials Offer Gantz Roles to Withdraw from Election Race

Senior figures within Israel's Change Bloc have reportedly offered Blue and White leader Benny Gantz a series of future positions outside the government and Knesset in exchange for his withdrawal from the upcoming elections. According to a source within the bloc, these offers were made multiple times, including in the past week, but Gantz has rejected them. The bloc's leadership believes Gantz is unlikely to recover in the polls or pass the electoral threshold. Meanwhile, Blue and White still hold significant financial resources as a former parliamentary party, and the bloc wishes to redirect these assets to other parties, such as Hili Tropper's.

A senior bloc official explained the offer by saying, "Gantz was Chief of Staff and Defense Minister. We want to give him a dignified way to retire. It's a shame he refuses." Blue and White responded by denying any such proposal, stating, "No such offer was made and there is nothing to offer. Gantz continues his mission to unite the Third Bloc parties and work towards forming a broad Zionist government capable of addressing the country's challenges and leading to peace among us."

On August 27, 2026, Gantz appeared on the Walla election podcast hosted by Yehuda Shlezinger, where he addressed his former partners, rejected calls for his withdrawal, and warned against forming another narrow government. Acknowledging his poor polling, Gantz insisted he would not step down and must lead the list if parties unite before the registration deadline. He said, "The demand that I withdraw to avoid 'wasting votes' is illegitimate. I belong to the people of Israel. Nothing will move me from first place; I initiated the Third Bloc idea and have the experience. I will not withdraw."

Gantz also criticized what he called a double standard directed at him compared to his former colleagues Gadi Eisenkot and Hili Tropper, who served in governments under Benjamin Netanyahu. He highlighted his past efforts to prevent Netanyahu from forming governments and to stop judicial reforms, contrasting this with his partners' cooperation with Netanyahu. Regarding Eisenkot's current status and media support, Gantz said, "I was the current messiah then, now Gadi is the current messiah. I wish him success, but at this time, I seek unity and to prevent civil strife. Gadi aims for a bloc victory, but I believe his path is dangerous for Israel's social fabric. If one side wins and the other loses, internal tensions will explode. I am not willing to sacrifice half the nation."