Leader of the Blue and White Party MK Benny Gantz on Monday sharply criticized the newly formed Together Party, which unites former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, warning that it could harm the ability to replace the government ahead of the upcoming elections.
Gantz also released a campaign video calling for a bloc representing “all of Israel,” and argued that Bennett and Lapid were focused on internal leadership battles rather than on working to form a broad Zionist government.
“Unfortunately, the alliance between Bennett and Lapid this week harms the ability to replace this bad government,” Gantz stated.
Gantz accused Bennett and Lapid of remaining “entrenched in internal bloc battles and focusing on who will lead, instead of where we will lead.”
He said this comes instead of appealing to right-wing voters, Likud supporters, and members of the religious Zionist community, “who are currently looking for a new political home.”
“Both Bennett and Lapid are people I respect, but each of them has once again chosen what serves them personally, rather than what serves the country,” Gantz claimed.
He added that only Blue and White can guarantee that there will not be an extremist government, “or a narrow minority government that relies on Arab parties and collapses at the first security challenge.”
Blue and White party fails to clear electoral threshold in polls
Gantz’s party has failed to clear the electoral threshold in recent polls, and he has been distanced from the opposition bloc. He has also indicated that he would not object to teaming up with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Bennett and Lapid have openly called on Yashar! Party leader Gadi Eisenkot to join their alliance.
Eisenkot has not accepted their request and instead called on the opposition bloc to focus on gaining as many votes as possible. He urged opposition leaders to convene a coordination meeting to secure a Zionist majority to unseat Netanyahu.
Gantz was excluded from the invitation to meet with the opposition leaders, which included Bennett and Lapid from “Together,” along with MK Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party and the left-wing Democrats Party, led by Yair Golan.
There have also been reports of a potential merger between Gantz’s party and the Reservists Party led by former communications minister Yoaz Hendel.
Gantz’s party has suffered several setbacks after multiple MKs left the faction over the past year. The most significant departure was Eisenkot, who left after serving as Gantz’s second-in-command.
Although the Blue and White Party is in the opposition, Gantz has served in two unity governments under Netanyahu and has been criticized for a back-and-forth approach.
Gantz briefly brought his party into Netanyahu’s government at the start of the Israel-Hamas war, but returned to the opposition in June 2024, stating that Netanyahu was incorporating political considerations into wartime decision-making.
