Gantz, Lapid both said courting Ashkenazi, but he'll only join if they unite

According to TV report, both party leaders believe ex-IDF chief could win them seats at the expense of Likud; ‘If you don’t unite, what will we tell our kids?’ Ashkenazi says

Former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi is being enthusiastically courted by candidates Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid to join their respective parties, but has told both he will only enter the political fray if they unite in a bid to form a large centrist bloc, Hadashot TV news reported Friday night.

According to Hadashot, both Lapid, who heads Yesh Atid, and former IDF chief Gantz, leader of the newly formed Israel Resilience, held internal polls that show Ashkenazi could persuade Likud voters to jump ship, winning them seats at the expense of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party.

And while both have offered Ashkenazi the number 2 spot on their rosters, Ashkenazi has reportedly told them he is less interested in his placement, and more interested in giving the opposition to Netanyahu a fighting chance. “If you don’t unite, what will we tell our children?” he reportedly said to them.

The report flatly contradicts pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom, which earlier this month said Ashkenazi’s preferred party would be Likud. The paper reported that Ashkenazi had told his confidants he hadn’t decided what his next step would be, but that if he enters politics he would want to do so as part of Netanyahu’s party.

Former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz seen with members of the Druze community and activists outside his home in Rosh Ha’ayin, during a protest against the nation-state law, January 14, 2019. (Flash90)

Likud has been consistently polling at around 30 out of the 120-Knesset seats (though a recent survey found the party falling to 25 seats if the attorney general announces an indictment against Netanyahu before the April 9 vote).
Lapid and Gantz have both been vying for second place, polling at around 13-14 seats each.

Earlier reports have suggested Gantz and Lapid share common ground but that neither is prepared to serve as No.2 on a joint slate.

Ashkenazi is a popular figure in Israel, and is widely credited for restoring the IDF to form during his tenure in 2007-2011, following its perceived failures during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

Head of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid leads a faction meeting in the Knesset, on December 17, 2018. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

Gantz is also reportedly seeking to add Histadrut labor federation chief Avi Nissenkorn to his Knesset slate, as well as to join forces with MK Orly Levy-Abekasis, chairman of the new Gesher party (and formerly of Yisrael Beytenu).

Moshe Ya’alon, another former IDF chief of staff as well as a former Likud defense minister, has also been approached by Gantz and has indicated he could be interested in joining forces. Ya’alon currently leads the newly formed Telem party.

A recent survey on Israelis’ preferred candidate for prime minister gave Netanyahu 41 percent to Gantz’s 38 percent in a one-on-one scenario, marking the first time in years that any potential rival has come close to Netanyahu’s figures. The same survey gave Netanyahu 45 percent to Lapid’s 29 percent.

MK Orly Levy-Abekasis attends a Knesset committee meeting on March 15, 2017.(Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Gantz will break his months of near-silence next week at the campaign launch of his party, where he is expected to outline his still-unknown positions on the key issues he will focus on, ahead of the April 9 vote.

Gantz’s party said in a statement that the event will take place on Tuesday evening, at the Tel Aviv Convention Center, a popular location for large political events.