Benny Gantz, chairman of the Blue and White party and former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, announced Monday that he will not run in the upcoming Knesset elections. Shortly after the announcement, political correspondent Moriah Asraf revealed the reason behind the timing of Gantz's decision, just days before voting opens at IDF bases.
According to Asraf, the decision to announce his withdrawal now stems from a desire to prevent a situation in which soldiers would vote for Gantz's party even though it would ultimately not be running in the elections.
"The reason Benny Gantz is announcing his withdrawal at this time, and not waiting until election week: the ballot boxes will begin to be distributed tomorrow among IDF bases in the various sectors. Gantz did not want any soldier to vote for him if he would not be running in the end," Asraf wrote.
She added a personal note on Gantz's decision: "This teaches something more about this man, who I hope, for the sake of the people of Israel, has not completely ended his political path today."
In his withdrawal statement, Gantz said: "I will not run in the upcoming elections - I will continue to fight for unity. This is the only solution that will prevent another disaster and protect Israel from all challenges from within and without."
The decision marks a shift in Gantz's position, who in recent days had insisted that he had no intention of withdrawing. Just nine days ago he declared: "I have decided not to surrender to our enemies; in order to fight our enemies I must fight for unity among us, and therefore I am running until the end."
Gantz also rejected claims that his party's candidacy could lead to wasted votes, and clarified that he does not belong to either of the political blocs. At the time, he claimed that at least six mandates were interested in voting for Blue and White.
