Netanyahu’s Path to Power May Run Through Gantz Again

In this opinion piece, published June 25, 2026, columnist Eitan Kabel argues that Benjamin Netanyahu does not necessarily need to win outright in order to stay in power. Instead, he says, Netanyahu may benefit if a new centrist or right-leaning “unidentified” political faction takes just enough seats to prevent either bloc from reaching a governing majority.

Kabel writes that the proposed “unidentified” party is being presented as nonpartisan, responsible and unifying, but he believes its likely supporters come mostly from the right. In his view, a small tally of four to six Knesset seats would be enough to siphon votes from the anti-Netanyahu camp and block a clear outcome, even if the new party itself never formally joins Netanyahu after the election.

He says that if the election ends in deadlock, the familiar language of “responsibility,” “national unity” and “salvation” will reappear, creating space for Benny Gantz to once again join or rescue a Netanyahu-led government. Kabel points to past arrangements such as the unity and rotation government to argue that what once seemed impossible can quickly become reality in Israeli politics.

The article concludes that the emerging faction, if it materializes, would function less as a political alternative than as a lifeline for Netanyahu. Kabel even floats the possibility of a future unity deal, half a term for Netanyahu and half for Gantz, and speculates that such a setup could later support Netanyahu’s candidacy for president.