From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
MK Eitan Ginzburg quits Gantz’s Blue and White party, in 2nd defection in 3 days
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela 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 lawmaker Eitan Ginzburg announces he is leaving the centrist opposition party, marking the second defection from the party in three days and the fifth in the past year, as the once-pivotal faction appears to be steadily hemorrhaging lawmakers as it has collapsed in opinion polls.
Hebrew media reports say he is expected to join Naftali Bennett’s and Yair Lapid’s joint Together slate, though neither Ginzburg nor Together has commented on this.
The announcement comes hours after party chief Benny Gantz summoned Ginzburg and issued an ultimatum to declare his political intentions, amid reports he has been in talks with other parties.
In a lengthy post on X, Ginzburg praises Gantz as “a courageous leader of remarkable strength and integrity,” but says Blue and White no longer has the ability “in its current form to continue driving the necessary change.”
He does not detail his next move, saying only that he is seeking “a framework in which I can best contribute my abilities” and “continue fighting to restore hope.”
Ginzburg’s exit follows MK Chili Tropper’s two days ago, less than a year after former number two Gadi Eisenkot left to form the Yashar party, followed by Matan Kahana and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, who both joined Yashar, though Farkash-Hacohen remains in the Knesset.
It remains unclear whether Gantz will seek Ginzburg’s resignation from the Knesset, amid reports that the party leader is pushing for Farkash-Hacohen to step down to prevent the transfer of campaign financing to Yashar. Under Israel’s system, public funding is tied to a faction’s Knesset representation, meaning lawmakers who switch parties can effectively shift resources with them.
The party says Tropper will remain in the Knesset to avoid handing the coalition an extra vote that could help advance a draft exemption law for Haredi yeshiva students. If any of the departing lawmakers resign from the Knesset, they would be replaced by the next candidates on the joint Blue and White–New Hope list that was elected to the Knesset in 2022. Because Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope faction has since joined the coalition, such a resignation could effectively hand the coalition an additional vote on key legislation.
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