The talks to unify the Blue and White and Unity parties are entering a more sensitive phase, after Benny Gantz clearly informed Gilad Erdan that he is not ready to give up first place in the joint list, at a time when the two parties are trying to build an electoral alliance that may constitute a final opportunity to exceed the electoral threshold in the 2026 elections.
According to a report by journalist Yuval Karni in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Gantz said during a meeting held on Friday with Erdan as part of exploring the possibility of unifying the two parties: “I am not ready to give up first place on the list. I am the one who must lead.”
The meeting came as part of a series of contacts between the two parties, and was described as “positive and in a good spirit,” while Gantz and Erdan agreed to remain in contact during the next week, with the possibility of holding meetings between work teams from both parties during the next few days to discuss the details of the merger.
But the position announced by Gantz sparked criticism within the Unity Party, as a source in the party said: “The problem is that he believes that he alone can lead as if he is still a candidate for prime minister.”
According to a source familiar with the details of the meeting, Erdan stressed to Gantz the necessity of discussing the principles of the alliance and the common basic lines first, before entering into the issue of locations and the order of names on the list, considering that this is what primarily concerns citizens who wish to give their votes to parties seeking to establish a broad unity government.
This is the second meeting between Gantz and Erdan in just two days.
The two parties start from the basic assumption that neither of them currently exceeds the electoral threshold alone, and therefore running in the elections on one list may be the best option for them.
However, estimates indicate that neither party is yet ready to give up leadership of the list.
Erdan has a strong card in the event of an alliance with Gantz, which is that the “Blue and White” party has large amounts of money allocated to finance the parties.
On the other hand, Gantz has been suffering for some time from a clear weakness in opinion polls, while his party is facing a sharp decline, and members of the Knesset in its ranks are pressuring him to take political and electoral steps.
In parallel with his talks with Erdan, Gantz is also making contact about the possibility of including former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked in the potential coalition.
But a source familiar with the details warned that even if the two parties were unified, “exceeding the electoral threshold will remain difficult.”
These moves come at a time when the other side of the Israeli political map is witnessing a parallel crisis within the right-wing camp, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced an obstacle in his attempts to reorganize the ranks of the camp before the elections.
The head of the “Jewish Power” party and Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, announced that his party would not unite with “religious Zionism” led by Bezalel Smotrich, which polls show is below the electoral threshold.
Netanyahu had invited the ministers to a meeting next Sunday, warning that “no vote should be wasted.”
But the “Jewish Power” announcement came immediately and in a decisive manner, as the party said: “The Jewish Power Party and the Religious Zionism Party will not run together in the upcoming elections for the Knesset. This decision is final and absolute and will not be changed under any circumstances.”
Ben Gvir suggested to Netanyahu to look for other paths, and said in his party’s statement: “We call on the prime minister to advance the two correct and realistic alternatives proposed, either unifying all the fragments of the small parties, or using the guaranteed seats that the prime minister obtained in Likud in favor of Smotrich, in order to ensure the victory of the right in the elections and the formation of a true right-wing government.”
The Likud Party responded by attacking Ben Gvir, telling him: “Because of personal considerations, Ben Gvir will burn the votes of the right. He transcended his personal ego and showed maturity and responsibility.”
Internal criticism also emerged in Ben Gvir’s party itself, as sources in the party said that some of his advisors believe that he “too quickly rejected” the possibility of an alliance with Smotrich.
According to these sources, the option must be re-examined in depth in light of the entry of retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter into the political arena, and his refusal to ally with Smotrich as his position in the opinion polls improved.
If Winter and Ben Gvir insist on rejecting the alliance with Smotrich, who is moving in most polls near the decisiveness percentage and has announced his willingness to repeat alliances similar to what happened in 2022, Netanyahu remains before him an additional option, although it is not clear how realistic it is.
This option is to integrate figures from the “Religious Zionism” list into the Likud list.
Between Gantz and Erdan’s battle over who will top the list on the one hand, and Netanyahu’s attempts to prevent the scattering of right-wing votes on the other hand, the current movements reveal that the electoral victory rate has become the most pressing factor on the Israeli parties, and that the battle for positions within the lists may in itself become a decisive factor in determining the shape of the next parliament.
