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Benny Gantz

Israel election 2026: the 8 battles still shaping party lists before deadline

With candidate lists closing in about 10 days, parties are still weighing mergers, defections and surprise recruits, from a possible Smotrich-Likud deal to Gantz’s future and whether Yoav Segalovitz joins Ra’am

Moran Azulay | 08.30.26

Gantz and Erdan discuss merger as both parties struggle below electoral threshold

Party leaders meet over a possible joint ticket, while Gantz is also in talks with former justice minister Ayelet Shaked; insiders say even a merger may not be enough to secure representation in the Knesset

Yuval Karni | 08.26.26

Down to the wire: Knesset election slates take shape as deadline nears

With less than two weeks to file candidate lists, parties are still juggling reserved slots, mergers, new recruits and survival around the electoral threshold

Moran Azulay, Yuval Karni, Einav Halabi | 08.26.26

The small-party showdown that could decide Israel’s next government

Hendel and Tropper court disaffected religious Zionists and reservists, while Erdan, Edelstein, Gantz and Winter maneuver to survive the threshold and reshape the race for 61 seats

Moran Azulay, Yuval Karni, Amir Ettinger | 08.06.26

Ex-UN envoy Gilad Erdan expected to launch new right-wing party this week

Former Likud minister preparing political comeback on pledge not to join a narrow government led by either bloc, but must overcome claims that his party could ultimately provide Netanyahu with a 61-seat coalition

Amir Ettinger | 08.02.26

בני גנץ דדי שמחי יולי אדלשטיין איילת שקד

Israel election 2026: Gantz, Shaked and Edelstein explore new unity ticket

Former ministers and military figures met at Yuli Edelstein’s home to explore a joint slate outside Israel’s rival political blocs, but remain divided over who would lead it and whether it could prevent either camp from securing a 61-seat majority

Amir Ettinger | 07.21.26

Small parties could decide Israel’s election, if they survive the threshold

Yuli Edelstein’s talks with Ayelet Shaked, Gilad Erdan and Yoaz Hendel are part of a wider scramble among right-wing and centrist splinters trying to avoid wasting votes before 2026

Moran Azulay | 07.04.26

Small parties, big impact: the quiet moves that could reshape Israel’s election

Gantz weighs alliances with Dedy Simhi and Yoaz Hendel as splinter parties on both blocs race to clear the threshold, where a few thousand votes could decide who forms the next government

Moran Azulay | 06.29.26

Gantz accused of pivoting toward Netanyahu as he seeks lifeline with right-wing allies

Blue and White leader courts ex-fire and rescue commissioner Dedy Simhi and Yaron Zelekha in merger push aimed at crossing electoral threshold, drawing claims he may join PM after vote

Yuval Karni | 06.07.26

Tropper departure shakes Gantz’s Blue and White as party struggles in polls

Former army chief faces pressure to decide whether to run alone, join another party or quit politics after polls show party failing to cross the electoral threshold

Moran Azulay | 05.03.26

Jewish cemetery in Romania vandalized, 14 gravestones toppled

Desecration at Jewish cemetery in Reghin, where Rabbi Hillel Pollak — a disciple of the Chatam Sofer and ancestor of Israeli lawmaker Benny Gantz — is buried, under investigation by Romanian authorities, with no suspects arrested so far

Itamar Eichner | 04.14.26

Lapid admits bloc may lose election as opposition infighting intensifies ahead of vote

Amid slipping polls and escalating opposition infighting, Lapid admits he is less optimistic and accuses allies of undercutting Yesh Atid, while Gantz says the fight is not against Netanyahu but declares: 'The Ben-Gvir era is over'

Moran Azulay | 02.16.26

Blue and White MK: Netanyahu must go, but party may join government if he has 61 seats

Recent polls show Blue and White struggling to cross the electoral threshold, and reports have said lawmaker and Gantz ally Chili Tropper is considering leaving the party

Alexandra Lukash | 01.14.26

No to extremists, yes to Netanyahu: Gantz shifts course to halt party’s free fall

Despite polling weakness, Gantz has moved away from the blanket opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embraced by much of the anti-Netanyahu bloc, instead drawing a sharper line against what he describes as political extremism

Moran Azulay | 01.13.26

Chili Tropper mulls exit from Blue and White amid fears party may miss electoral threshold, sources say

Sources say Tropper has urged Benny Gantz to decide soon on mergers or alliances ahead of the election, warning he will not risk wasted votes if the party lacks a clear path into the Knesset

Yuval Karni | 01.11.26