In terms of personality, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz, are polar opposites. This week, the 20th chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces completed one of the most amazing and incredible journeys ever recorded in Israeli politics.

It began 60 years ago on a small cooperative farm in southern Israel, continued through religious primary schooling and yeshiva, followed by military service in the paratroopers and culminated, against great odds, in the top echelon of the IDF. Unlike previous political meteors, such as former IDF chief and Prime Minister Ehud Barak or Netanyahu himself, Gantz was never singled out as a leader destined for greatness and never displayed burning ambition. However, he kept moving up the ranks, often boosted by a tremendous dose of luck.

A mere nine months after braving Israel’s electoral jungle, that same luck has made him a serious contender for the prime minister’s position. His prospects of forming Israel’s next government based on his Blue and White Party’s lead in the Sept. 17 elections currently seem far better than those of the incumbent.

“What the state needs now is simple,” Gantz told Al-Monitor some three weeks ago. “The internal wound needs to be healed, the divisions need to be bridged, the people need to be calmed down, and all this must be done without undermining the state’s security or economy.” Gantz views himself as the right man at the right time and place to carry out this mission. He is a laid-back individual not known for the type of acrimony Netanyahu is, and unlike his Blue and White co-chair Yair Lapid, he does not draw fire from the ultra-Orthodox parties. His somewhat neutral demeanor gives a distinct advantage.