Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party has maintained a strong lead in polls ahead of the country’s upcoming general election, but a former general opposing him has surged in recent weeks, The Washington Post reports.
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Benny Gantz partnered with Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid last week, appearing together on TV to announce their plan to work together to defeat Netanyahu. Gantz’ Blue and White party, which the Post notes is part of a pattern of centrists parties emerging in Israel, now leads the opposition.
“Something went wrong this past decade. Israel has lost its way,” Gantz said in the announcement. “Instead of separation, we offer unity. Instead of extremism, we offer patriotism. Instead of incitement, we offer national reconciliation.”
Centist parties in Israel have followed “a recurring pattern,” according to the Post. “For the past two decades, almost every Israeli election has seen the emergence of a new centrist party, typically led by a fresh and charismatic leader. While these parties often won a surprising number of votes, by the next election, they had lost much of their appeal and were eclipsed by newer centrist parties in the same mold.”
Gantz is the latest “fresh and charismatic leader,” to emerge as a challenger to the conservative Netanyahu. He promises to seek a peaceful solution with Palestinians while running graphic ads promoting the damage done to them while he led Israel Defense Forces, a seeming contradiction that may win over Israeli voters, many of whom want a two-state solution, but doubt it can be reached peacefully, according to information from the Israeli National Election Study.
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