Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be replaced, and it does not matter by whom, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said at a press conference in Ramat Gan's Kfar Hamaccabiah Hotel on Wednesday.
Gantz spoke ahead of the end of his three-month term as acting justice minister. Gantz lamented that because Netanyahu will not bring the appointment to a vote, there will be no justice minister as Netanyahu's criminal trial begins.
"This is a wake-up call to all the honest people in politics," Gantz said. "It is a time of emergency, so it is less important who will be prime minister, as long as Netanyahu stops serving in his post and we agree on an honest and statesmanlike government that will serve all the citizens."
Gantz said getting parties from the Center to the Right to join the effort to replace Netanyahu is complicated, a reference to Yamina leader Naftali Bennett. He said the effort would require more talks to find a solution enabling the formation of a new government.
Regarding Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, Gantz would only say that Blue and White will support the candidate who will have the best chance of replacing the government.
Gantz met on Wednesday with Lapid in the second meeting of the two allies turned rivals in five days, after not meeting for more than a year.
"The two continued discussions on the solution for forming a government that will replace Netanyahu," a spokesman for Lapid said. "The discussions will continue in the coming days."
After not speaking publicly for more than a week, Netanyahu is set to address the country on Wednesday night.