Unity party Chairman Gilad Erdan, former ambassador to the United Nations, announced he was withdrawing from the election race on Friday.
In a statement, Erdan said his party had little chance of surmounting the electoral threshold and that efforts to merge with other parties had failed to materialize, leading him to drop his campaign.
“Despite the many efforts we made, the support for the Unity Party I established so far does not provide a high likelihood of crossing the electoral threshold, and the possibilities of joining with additional parties in the unity bloc are also not materializing,” Erdan said. “Therefore, I have decided that the Unity party will not run in the upcoming election.”
Erdan said he believes voters are primarily focused on determining who will become prime minister rather than on his party’s platform of establishing a broad unity government.
“Unfortunately, after about a month of campaigning, reality shows that in the upcoming election, a large majority of the public is seeking above all a clear decision on the question of who will be prime minister, and the need for a broad unity government is not high on citizens’ list of priorities,” he said.
Merger talks between Unity, Blue and White fail
The statement came following an N12 News report that talks surrounding a potential merger between Unity and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party had failed.
Talks between the parties were ongoing for several weeks, but Unity party officials told N12, following a meeting on Friday, that the discussions did not address any substantive issues or include a commitment to unite the bloc. They suggested that the true purpose of the meeting was to generate media attention.
This week’s N12 poll analyzed a potential merger between the two parties and found that even a combined list would probably fail to gain enough votes for a place in the Knesset, with only 2.6% support.
In an interview with Walla published on Friday, Blue and White chairman Gantz said he would not give up the top spot in merger talks.
“Because I need to lead this path,” Gantz said when asked why he should be placed first.
“Because I created it. I know what it needs. I have enough experience to know what to do and what not to do. And it’s not just about a catchy name in a campaign, or someone trying to take you down; it’s about what your essence is.”
When asked whether those he is negotiating with understand that he will not give up the top spot, Gantz replied, “I believe so.”
Eisenkot calls on parties struggling to cross threshold to act responsibly, suspend campaigns
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot praised Erdan’s decision to suspend his party’s campaign, calling it a “responsible and leadership-driven decision” that would increase the chances of replacing the October 7 government and establishing a broad Zionist government that would bring healing and recovery to Israel.
Eisenkot called on other parties also struggling to cross the electoral threshold to make similar decisions, saying, “Any party that is hovering around the electoral threshold should act with the same responsibility and put the good of Israel ahead of any other consideration.”