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Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Report: Bennett met with Gantz last week amid push for accord
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 chair Benny Gantz met with former prime minister Naftali Bennett last Friday, amid growing pressure within his party to reach an accord with Bennett ahead of the next election, according to a Channel 12 report.
According to the report, Gantz is seeking to promote the formation of a broad-based government and is open to sitting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bennett, who has long been viewed as Netanyahu’s most formidable challenger and has vowed to replace him, nevertheless agreed to meet with Gantz in a move that could signal greater openness on his part to sit with the prime minister.
Recent polling shows Bennett’s party projected to win 19 seats — the highest among parties opposing Netanyahu and second overall to Likud’s 25.
Gantz, who served as defense minister in Bennett and Yair Lapid’s short-lived government in 2021–2022, has faced mounting pressure from opposition figures to quit the race ahead of elections as Blue and White has repeatedly failed to clear the electoral threshold in surveys for months.
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