Following Gantz's withdrawal: Right-wing leaders step up pressure on Ofer Winter
Benny Gantz's withdrawal from the Knesset race sparks calls on the right to prevent wasted votes on parties polling below the electoral threshold.
Israeli politicians from various parties reacted to the news that Blue and White leader Benny Gantz had withdrawn from the upcoming elections. Former party member and IDF deputy chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot praised Gantz for his responsible decision to withdraw from what was described as the most consequential elections since Israel's founding.
Democrats Yair Golan and Yoaz Hendel of the Reservists and Economic Party similarly commended Gantz's withdrawal, urging voters to support their parties instead. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa ar urged smaller right-wing parties polling below the electoral threshold to follow Gantz's lead and withdraw, warning that votes for such parties were at risk of being wasted and potentially benefiting the left-wing bloc.
Sa ar compared this to the 1992 elections, which saw the left-wing camp gain 61 seats after the loss of votes from three small right-wing parties, leading to the signing of the Oslo Accords.
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