Benny Gantz withdraws from Israel’s 27 October election

Benny Gantz said on 19 October that he would not run in Israel’s 27 October election, according to Al Jazeera. His Blue and White party had been polling below the threshold for entering the Knesset, leaving its prospects of winning seats in doubt as the country approaches a closely contested vote.

Gantz, a former army chief and defence minister, leads Blue and White, also known as Kahol Lavan. He said he would continue to work for unity, Al Jazeera reported.

Why Blue and White faced an electoral hurdle

Gantz previously served as a main opposition leader and joined a national unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2020 to 2021. His decision drew support from opposition figures, including Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, who called it correct and responsible, Al Jazeera reported.

Coalition arithmetic ahead of the 27 October vote

Recent polling suggested that neither Netanyahu’s governing bloc nor its main opposition rivals were on course for a parliamentary majority, Al Jazeera reported. Former Israeli ambassador Alon Pinkas told Al Jazeera he regarded Gantz’s departure as electorally inconsequential because he had not been expected to have a major impact on the vote.

The National separately reported that polls pointed to a deadlock and that votes from Palestinian citizens of Israel could matter in the coalition arithmetic. In Nazareth, it described activists working to increase turnout among Arab voters. Umaima Luwabneh told The National she had come to encourage people to vote.

Al Jazeera reported that two Arab-led electoral lists were projected to win 13 seats, while both main blocs had ruled out forming a government with them. The National noted the contrast with the broad coalition formed four years earlier, when Arab parties played a crucial role. Those positions could complicate efforts to form a governing majority after the vote.