JERUSALEM Gadi Eisenkot, the former commander of the Israeli army, revealed on Sunday that he will join the electoral ticket of former senior officer Benny Gantz for the November parliamentary elections, marking his first foray into politics.
In the face of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Likud leader, who desires to win the most seats in the Knesset and return to the political arena by capitalising on the present crisis, the Israeli political landscape is open to complicated coalitions.
In recent weeks, Israeli publications revealed suspicions concerning the future of Eisenkot, the influential chief of staff of the Israeli army from 2015 to 2019. He was courted by several parties, including the centrist There Is a Future party (Yesh Atid), led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
However, Eisenkot made his political debut on Sunday by joining the joint list of incumbent Defense Minister Benny Gantz, head of the centrist organisation Blue and White, and Justice Minister Gideon Saar, who is also the leader of the New Hope party.
A joint statement stated that Gantz, Saar, and Eisenkot will run as the National Unity Party in the 2018 elections.
Following the dissolution of the Knesset (Parliament) on June 30, Israel will have its sixth parliamentary elections in three and a half years on November 1.
The diverse coalition that seized office a year ago to succeed Benjamin Netanyahu lost its majority, prompting the Knesset (Parliament) to dissolve itself and call for a fresh election.
Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is banking on the triumph of his Likud party and its religious right supporters in the next elections to reclaim the prime ministership.
To be seated in parliament in Israel, a party must win 3.25 percent of the vote. This proportion ensures that at least four party deputies are elected.
Following Gantz and Saar, former chief of staff Eisenkot will be the third name on their combined list, ensuring him a seat if the coalition meets the threshold necessary to enter the Knesset.
According to the most recent poll, Netanyahu will win around thirty members out of 120 in parliament, ahead of Lapid (about 25 deputies), Benny Gantz (ten seats), and approximately ten smaller parties.
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Gantz is able to include the former chief of staff on his election ballot.
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