Netanyahu Presses Ex-Foreign Minister Ashkenazi to Join Likud Before Candidate Deadline

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intensifying efforts to recruit former IDF Chief of Staff and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi to the Likud party, just before the deadline for submitting candidate lists for the upcoming Knesset elections. Several prominent Likud-affiliated mayors have recently spoken with Ashkenazi, attempting to persuade him to join the party's slate in one of Netanyahu's reserved spots.

Netanyahu's circle views Ashkenazi as a significant asset who could serve as the party's senior security figure during the election campaign. These recruitment efforts have been ongoing, but the approaching deadline has led to renewed pressure on Ashkenazi in hopes of a last-minute breakthrough.

Netanyahu's interest in Ashkenazi is not new. In the 2022 election cycle, an associate of Netanyahu reportedly offered Ashkenazi a reserved spot in Likud with political advancement, an offer he declined. In the past, Netanyahu and Ashkenazi have also held discussions on security matters, and in 2020, Ashkenazi publicly stated that Netanyahu had offered him the position of Defense Minister.