Former defense minister and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz on Thursday took aim at his former allies in the centrist opposition, saying the “bloc strategy” against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed and only benefits extremists.
Speaking at the founding assembly of his reshaped Blue and White party, Gantz criticized fellow opposition figures Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett and Yair Golan, who are working toward building a joint front against Netanyahu’s government. Without naming Eisenkot directly, who launched on Monday his own faction Yashar (straight) after a split with Gantz, he said: “We are truly going straight.”
Gantz reiterated his call for a “hostage redemption government” that would unite Zionist opposition parties with the coalition, a proposal his former allies rejected. “My proposal ran into the ‘bloc barrier,’” Gantz said. “Some in the opposition forgot they weren’t elected just to appear on TV and then go for espresso, but to influence reality and represent the public. Those who opposed it fear what people will say and what polls might show. We are not afraid.”
He argued that the short-lived “Government for Change” that ousted Netanyahu in 2021 failed in its core mission. “It proved you cannot build a narrow government based only on opposition to one man, without a shared vision. The bloc strategy blocks Israel and serves only extremists,” he said, urging a shift from “just not Bibi” to “just not extremists.”
Gantz stressed that while he opposes hardliners like far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, he does not support outright boycotts of Netanyahu, putting him at odds with Lapid and others. “Israel is on the verge of civil war,” Gantz warned. “Extremists moved from the margins to running the state, and the Likud of [former prime minister Menachem] Begin has become the Likud of Ben-Gvir.”
Turning to Eisenkot, Gantz said: “We are here for the long haul. We don’t zigzag with the polls — we are truly going straight.”
His remarks reflect growing tension within the centrist camp, where polls show Gantz’s continued run could siphon votes and potentially give Netanyahu a governing majority. Still, Gantz has kept up criticism of the government’s handling of the Gaza war, while acknowledging mistakes in his own camp.
“Did we really come to change?” Gantz asked rhetorically. “The Government for Change failed in its basic task. It did not touch religion and state, judicial reform, the Nation-State Law, education or military service frameworks. It did not pass term limits, reduce the number of ministries or cancel coalition funds.”
Gantz concluded by declaring Netanyahu must step down but said Israel must move past rigid partisan camps. “The bloc strategy is the greatest barrier to Israel’s progress,” he said. “Our mission is to break down these walls and form a government that represents most of Israel’s public — not the camps, but the people.”