Benny Gantz Announces Withdrawal From Upcoming Elections
Translated & summarized from TheMarker by baba
Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, announced Monday he will not run in the upcoming elections, citing a desire to "fight for unity." His party has struggled in recent polls, failing to pass the electoral threshold. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Reserve Soldiers Party, called Gantz's decision "correct and responsible." The party has seen significant departures of members since its previous success, where it won 12 Knesset seats.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Benny Gantz announced he will not run in the upcoming elections.
- Gantz stated he will continue to "fight for unity" for Israel.
- The National Unity Party has been polling at only 1% of the vote.
- Gadi Eisenkot called Gantz's decision "correct and responsible."
- The party previously won 12 Knesset seats in the last elections.
Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity Party, announced on Monday that he will not run in the upcoming elections. "I will continue to fight for unity," he stated, adding, "This is the only solution that will prevent further disaster and protect Israel against all challenges from within and without." Gantz was expected to deliver a formal statement later in the evening.
The party has not passed the electoral threshold in recent polls across major Israeli media channels, garnering only about 1% of the vote. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Reserve Soldiers Party, thanked Gantz for his withdrawal, calling it a "correct and responsible decision." Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Reservists Party, stated that "like on other occasions, today Benny Gantz did the proper and necessary act for the country." He urged voters of the "third bloc" to join his party.
In previous Knesset elections, the list secured 12 mandates as part of the National Unity bloc, which included Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope party. After Sa'ar rejoined the government, Eisenkot left with Matan Kahana to form a new party. Later, Orit Farkash-Hacohen joined them, and gradually, most party members departed. Hili Tropper, Eitan Ginzburg, and Yael Ron Ben-Mose either moved to other parties or left politics entirely. Only two remained with Gantz until the end: Pnina Tamano-Shata, who began her political career in Yesh Atid in 2012, and Alon Schuster, who was placed sixth on the list at his request.
Over the weekend, pollster Shlomo Filber posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Gantz was "strengthening and has surprisingly passed [the threshold] twice in the last week." However, no poll submitted to the Central Elections Committee supported this claim. According to law, all poll data conducted within 90 days of an election must be submitted to the committee to ensure reliability and prevent public deception. The National Unity Party echoed Filber's sentiment in an SMS message: "Pollster Shlomo Filber states: 'It is too early to eulogize National Unity.'" Filber's post garnered over 45,000 views on X, with additional views on Telegram and Facebook. Responding to Haaretz, Filber clarified, "I reported that he is strengthening, not that he is passing. I see a lot of raw material like all other pollsters. No interpretation is required for the report."
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