Gantz Claims He Was Offered High Spot on Likud List

Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz revealed that he received an offer for a high placement on the Likud party's Knesset list during the previous election cycle. Gantz made the disclosure in an interview with Roni Kuban on Kan 11, an Israeli public broadcaster. He stated that while he had conversations with leaders of the "change bloc", a coalition of opposition parties, none of them extended him an offer for a reserved spot on their lists. This includes Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Yair Lapid, according to Gantz.

The Likud party has vehemently denied Gantz's claim, labeling it "fake news" and asserting that Gantz never received such an offer. Gantz's decision not to join Likud, and his subsequent avoidance of political mergers, followed the offer he allegedly received. Gantz first entered politics before the 20th Knesset elections, leading the Hosen L'Yisrael party, which later merged with Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid, Moshe Ya'alon's Telem, and Gabi Ashkenazi to form the "Blue and White" alliance.

This alliance contested three election cycles before Gantz joined the first rotation government during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the list's dissolution. Since then, Gantz has held several ministerial positions, including Defense Minister, Justice Minister, and Knesset Speaker. In the 25th Knesset, he led the National Unity party, a union with Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope and Gadi Eisenkot. Following the outbreak of the "Swords of Iron" war, Gantz was appointed to the War Cabinet but later left the government, and the National Unity union dissolved.

Many party members, including Hili Tropper and Michael Biton, have since left Gantz's party, partly due to his reluctance to unite with other political figures. In the current election cycle, Gantz is running under the Blue and White banner, with current polls indicating the party is below the electoral threshold.