Erdan pulls new party off ballot, says Israelis didn’t buy his pitch for unity government

Gilad Erdan announces that his fledgling Unity Party will not run in the upcoming Knesset election after weeks of polls showing that it would not cross the electoral threshold.

“I founded the Unity Party a few weeks ago because I believe that Israel needs a broad Zionist government that can pass a real conscription law and resolve disputes,” Erdan says in a statement announcing the move.

“I believed that the terrible massacre of October 7 and the terrible price paid by the citizens of Israel obliged us to change direction,” the former Likud minister and Israeli ambassador to the UN continues.

“Unfortunately, after about a month of campaigning, it has become clear that a large majority of the public is above all seeking a clear decision on the question of the identity of the prime minister, and the need for a broad unity government is not high on Israelis’ list of priorities,” Erdan laments.

“Despite the many efforts we have made, the support so far for the Unity Party that I founded does not guarantee with high probability that it will pass the electoral threshold, and the possibilities of joining forces with other parties in the unity bloc have not materialized.”

“Therefore, I have decided that the Unity Party will not be running in the upcoming election campaign,” he says.