Blue and White in Crisis as Eisenkot Demands Gantz Resign

Former IDF chief of staff and ex-MK Gadi Eisenkot said this Thursday morning that Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz should step aside if his party polls near the electoral threshold in the next election.

Speaking to Army Radio, Eisenkot declared,

“If Gantz is around the threshold, he should step down.”

Blue and White fires back

Blue and White quickly dismissed Eisenkot’s remarks. In a sharp response, the party said:

“We suggest that Gadi stop obsessing over polls, some of which show that he himself does not pass the threshold in elections that haven’t even been called, and instead focus on what can be done today for the hostages, the soldiers, and the state.”

Fractured partnership

Eisenkot, who served as Gantz’s number two in the last election, left Blue and White and resigned from the Knesset in June, citing frustration with unfulfilled promises. He said Gantz had committed to democratizing the party through internal primaries, including leadership contests, but never followed through.

The split highlights the rift inside the centrist camp, once considered a major challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Polls show steep decline

The latest surveys paint a bleak picture for Gantz. A Channel 13 poll this week gave Blue and White just four seats, while a Maariv poll suggested the party would not cross the 3.25% threshold.

By contrast, the same survey showed that a new faction headed by Eisenkot could secure as many as nine seats, a result that could reshape the center-left bloc.