Edelstein, Shaked Meet Gantz and Samhi to Explore New Political Alliance

A significant political meeting took place on Monday evening at the home of Knesset member Yuli Edelstein, aiming to explore a new political alliance. The meeting included Edelstein, Ayelet Shaked, Benny Gantz, and Dedi Samhi. Edelstein and Shaked are working together to consider a union with Gantz and Samhi, motivated by the need to reduce the number of parties across political blocs and the belief that only a single party, unaffiliated with existing blocs and seeking to enforce unity, can surpass the electoral threshold. It is estimated that with the current fragmentation, none of the smaller parties will pass the threshold.

The push for this alliance is reportedly driven by Eldad Yaniv, an advisor to retired Brigadier General Samhi, who previously served as Fire and Rescue Commissioner. A central point of contention is leadership: former ministers Edelstein and Shaked believe a right-wing figure should lead the initiative, while Gantz, a former Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff, does not fit that profile and insists on maintaining leadership. Gantz is willing to join only if there is a commitment to prevent any side from reaching 61 seats, effectively forcing a broad coalition government. A source from Blue and White emphasized that Gantz refuses to be a satellite party of Likud.

One advantage of partnering with Gantz is the financial and organizational resources he brings, which are significant for external candidates. Meanwhile, Edelstein, who recently left Likud, is also negotiating with Gilad Erdan for a possible alliance excluding Shaked, though no talks have occurred between Shaked and Erdan despite reports. Erdan, former Israeli Ambassador to the UN, is preparing to announce a new party but has not made an official decision. He has hired strategic advisor Nevo Cohen, who previously worked on campaigns for Naftali Bennett and Itamar Ben-Gvir, to assist in this decision.

Blue and White responded that Gantz is in talks with various leaders who support ending political boycotts and bloc warfare to form a broad Zionist government without extremists after the elections. They cited several figures engaged in these discussions, including Samhi, Moshe Kahlon, Yoaz Hendel, Aliza Bloch, Edelstein, Yaron Zelekha, and others. No comment was provided by Edelstein or Shaked's representatives.