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Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Report: Longtime Likud members Gilad Erdan, MK Yuli Edelstein reach initial agreements on forming new party
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.
Former UN ambassador and ex-Likud minister Gilad Erdan and Likud MK Yuli Edelstein have reached initial agreements regarding the potential establishment of a new political party together, with “significant progress” reportedly made in recent talks, according to a Channel 12 news report.
According to the report, the two are working together closely and waiting for former finance minister Moshe Kahlon to decide whether to join the initiative.
The two are in talks with other right-wing figures about joining the party, according to the report, including former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch, former IDF general Ofer Winter, who is widely expected to enter politics, and former fire commissioner Dedi Simchi, who has said that he will run for the Knesset.
Erdan, Edelstein, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel have all been mentioned in recent months in reports about the possible formation of a new party tentatively dubbed “Likud B,” aimed at creating a more “statesmanlike” alternative to the ruling party, which would eschew some of the extreme populist elements of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s current party.
The report comes a day after Erdan publicly confirmed that he is considering establishing a new right-wing party to compete with Likud, saying in an interview with Radio 103FM that he sees himself as a potential future prime minister, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves political life.
The Times of Israel Community.