From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 19, 2026
Gantz says ‘no plans’ to return to coalition unless ‘Israel really needs me’
Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz says that he does not plan on returning to the current government unless the state needs him, following repeated remarks that he would not rule out joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“I have no intention to return to the current government,” Gantz says to journalists before a faction meeting.
However, he adds ambiguously that “any time that Israel needs me, really needs me, I’ll be there.”
Gantz, who has joined Netanyahu’s coalition several times after vowing not to, says it is the only way to keep the far right out of government and not depend on the support of Arab parties for a majority.
In a controversial ad campaign launched last week, Blue and White took aim at both the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party.
“Ben Gvir has many Zionist voters. I don’t agree with how extreme he is,” Gantz says in response to a question regarding whether he considers Ben Gvir or Abbas to be a “bigger Zionist.”
“Mansour Abbas isn’t a Zionist — he’s a proud Arab-Israeli. Today, he held an important discussion on how the Arab community does not receive what it should regarding internal security, infrastructure development, education, etc,” Gantz says.
However, Gantz argues that cooperating with Arab parties does not extend to the government.
“There are many places for cooperation with the Arab [community] and help them advance in integrating into society — not in government,” Gantz asserts.
The Times of Israel Community.