Netanyahu Renews Push to Recruit Former IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi to Likud List

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again attempting to recruit former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi to run on the Likud party's slate ahead of the upcoming elections. In recent days, prominent Likud-affiliated mayors have spoken with Ashkenazi, urging him to accept a protected spot on the party list. The goal is to position Ashkenazi as the ruling party's senior security figure before the candidate lists are finalized.

Ashkenazi, who previously served as IDF Chief of Staff and as Foreign Minister, is considered a significant security figure who could bolster the Likud list. This is not the first attempt to bring Ashkenazi into the Likud fold. In the 2022 election cycle, an businessman close to Netanyahu reportedly offered Ashkenazi a protected spot on the list with political prospects, but Ashkenazi declined at the time.

Discussions and meetings between Netanyahu and Ashkenazi on security matters have occurred in previous years. In 2020, Ashkenazi publicly stated that Netanyahu had offered him the position of Defense Minister.