First publication: Pressure on Gantz for a triple leadership with Shmahi and Edelstein

Sources close to Benny Gantz are pressuring him to agree to a triple leadership with Dedi Shmahi and Yuli Edelstein, amid stagnation in polls and delays in launching the new party. Gantz refuses and demands veto power, but the campaign team fears his insistence will push Edelstein away and drive Shmahi to join Likud.

Amid stagnation in polls and delays in launching the new party of Benny Gantz and Dedi Shmahi, sources close to Gantz are pressuring him to agree to a model of shared leadership with Yuli Edelstein, should he join. According to the proposal, Gantz would head the list, but a narrow forum of three – Gantz, Shmahi, and Edelstein – would be the authorized body to make significant decisions, manage coalition negotiations, and decide on leaving the government. Gantz refuses and insists on veto power, fearing that Shmahi and Edelstein would push for joining Netanyahu's government. Party sources say his poll numbers do not allow him to insist, and that Edelstein has not yet given a positive response to joining. Another concern is that Shmahi may receive an offer from Likud and join Netanyahu. The delay in the announcement stemmed from negotiations with Yoaz Hendel, who insisted on a separate faction, but eventually joined Hili Tropper. In Blue and White, they accused Hendel of cynically exploiting the negotiations.