In his maiden political speech on the evening of Jan. 29 at the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds, former army chief Benny Gantz declared himself on live prime-time television as the prime ministerial candidate the center-left will support. Beyond the declarations and commitments to voters as he launched the campaign of his newly minted Israel Resilience Party, Gantz was aiming for a speedy knockout of the other wannabe prime ministers in the political center and on the left. He aspired to position himself firmly as the leading candidate among these parties as he takes on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on April 9.
In recent weeks, Gantz was courted by the chair of centrist Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, who offered him the number-two spot on his Knesset slate, and by Labor leader Avi Gabbay. His appearance this week silenced all speculation that he might team up with anyone and made him a real threat to both parties. Some in Labor had believed they could depose Gabbay and convince Gantz to lead them. “If he says yes, Gabbay will not be able to oppose it,” a senior party figure told Al-Monitor at the time.
