Gilad Erdan Withdraws Unity Party from Israeli Elections

Gilad Erdan announced that his Unity Party will not run in the upcoming Israeli elections, citing insufficient polling support and failed merger negotiations. "Support thus far for the 'Unity' Party that I founded does not provide a high likelihood of crossing the electoral threshold, and efforts to join forces with other parties in the unity bloc have also failed to materialize," Erdan stated. He emphasized that leadership means "recognizing reality as it is and acting responsibly" to ensure voters' ballots are not wasted. Erdan thanked party leadership members including Yuli Edelstein, Aliza Bloch, Oren Smadja, and Hezi Nehama, stating he remains committed to public service despite withdrawing the party's candidacy.