Bennett’s slate picks up MK who left Gantz’s party

By Sam Sokol 5 August 2026, 4:16 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

MK Eitan Ginzburg and B'Yachad chair Naftali Bennett pose for a photo released on August 5, 2026. (B'Yachad)

MK Eitan Ginzburg, who left Benny Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party amid a wave of defections in May, will run on former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad list in the upcoming Knesset election, the latter party announces in a statement.

Bennett calls Ginzburg “a professional, dedicated and exceptionally talented elected official” with extensive experience in leadership roles and a “proven ability to execute.”

The 49-year old was elected as Israel’s first openly gay mayor in the central Israeli city of Ra’anana in 2018 and entered national politics on the Blue and White ticket in 2019. He was appointed communications minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2021 and lost out on reelection to the Knesset in 2022.

However, with the breakup of the Blue and White alliance, Ginzburg returned to the Knesset in July 2025, replacing then-Blue and White MK Gadi Eisenkot, who resigned in order to establish his current Yashar party.

Ginzburg announced he was leaving Blue and White in May during a wave of defections from the party, sparking early speculation that he would join Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s B’Yachad party.