Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has withdrawn from Israel’s general election, just eight days before voters go to the polls, after months of poor polling left his centrist party facing the prospect of failing to enter the Knesset.
The former IDF chief of staff announced on Monday that he would not contest the October 27 election, abandoning his campaign after previously pledging to continue fighting for a broad national unity government.
“I will not run in the upcoming elections. I will continue to fight for unity,” Gantz said in a statement.
He described this unity as “the only solution that will prevent another disaster and protect Israel against all challenges, domestically and abroad”.
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