Gilad Erdan Withdraws New Party from Israeli Election Race

Former Likud minister and Israeli UN envoy Gilad Erdan has announced his withdrawal from the upcoming parliamentary elections, just a month after founding his new party, "Achdut" (Unity). The decision comes after failed negotiations to merge with Benny Gantz's "Kachol Lavan" party and disappointing poll results indicating the new party would not pass the electoral threshold.

Erdan had assembled a team for "Achdut" including former Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, former Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch, national judo coach Oren Samaja, and retired Brigadier General Hezi Nehamah. At their launch, Erdan and Edelstein stated the party aimed to represent "hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have no one left to vote for," promising to unite "all Zionist forces" around a broad center without extremists.

Erdan explained his withdrawal, stating, "I believed that the terrible massacre of October 7 and the terrible price paid by the citizens of Israel required us to change course." He added that "the reality shows that the vast majority of the population is primarily looking for a clear solution to the issue of the prime minister's identity, and the need for a national unity government is not at the top of citizens' priorities."

"Our level of electoral support does not yet guarantee crossing the threshold, and the possibilities for uniting with other parties in a national unity bloc are also not materializing," Erdan continued. "Leadership also consists of recognizing reality as it is, and acting responsibly, and we must ensure that our voters' voices are not wasted."

Erdan's key partner, Yuli Edelstein, has not yet commented, leaving the future of "Achdut" uncertain. Parties and blocs must finalize their candidate lists and submit them to the Central Elections Committee by Tuesday evening, after which no further combinations or rearrangements will be possible.