Gantz firmly denies he will run with Bennett

MKs and spokesmen for Yesh Atid, Likud and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s party also helped spread the rumor. But Gantz attempted to put a rest to the speculation in the speech.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz walks in the Israeli Parliament during a vote on a bill to dissolve the Parliament at the Knesset, December 02, 2020. (photo credit: ALEX KOLOMOISKY / POOL)
Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz walks in the Israeli Parliament during a vote on a bill to dissolve the Parliament at the Knesset, December 02, 2020.
(photo credit: ALEX KOLOMOISKY / POOL)
Blue and White is not going rightward to Yamina, Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz told his party’s activists in a meeting on Zoom on Wednesday night.
Speculation had been raised that the two parties would run together in the March  23 election after all the party’s left-wing ministers and MKs who are not close friends with Gantz left the party. Each of them warned on their way out that Gantz could run on one slate with Yamina leader Naftali Bennett.
MKs and spokesmen for Yesh Atid, Likud and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s party also helped spread the rumor. But Gantz attempted to put a rest to the speculation in the speech.
“I want to clarify it decisively,” Gantz said. “I will not run with Bennett. That is not part of my plans. It is time for this story to end. There is no merger anyway, nothing concrete, especially not with him.”
Gantz said that after the election, however, Blue and White could end up cooperating with Yamina, because Bennett says he does not want Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to remain in power.
Earlier Wednesday, Blue and White released an official statement saying that there are no negotiations with Yamina and that “Gantz intends to run until the end in order to verify that Netanyahu will leave.”
Sources in Blue and White said the speculation about running with Yamina was fueled by Bennett’s associates in order to help his negotiations with National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich on a combined list of Bennett and Smotrich’s parties.
Bennett has been unwilling to give Smotrich more than two seats in the slate’s top ten. Smotrich has demanded four among the top eight slots on the list.
In order to paint himself as the leader of the entire religious Zionist sector, Smotrich changed the National Union’s name on Wednesday to the Religious Zionist Party. The National Union once included the Moledet Party, which had secular candidates, including its slain leader Rehavam Ze’evi, but it is now strictly an orthodox party.
Social Equality and Minorities Minister Meirav Cohen submitted her resignation from the parliament to Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin on Wednesday. Cohen also quit the cabinet, because she left Blue and White for the opposition Yesh Atid Party. She will be replaced by the next candidate on the Blue and White list, Maariv columnist Ruth Wasserman Lande.