Gilad Erdan opens up on Likud: "Influenced by self-interested considerations"

Gilad Erdan announced in an interview with 103FM the establishment of a new party and his departure from Likud, claiming that the state cannot wait for his ambitions. He supported an independent commission of inquiry into the October 7 events, including examining the judicial system, and warned against a narrow, blackmailable government and the influence of extremists.

Gilad Erdan, former Israeli ambassador to the UN and the US, announced in an interview with Radio 103FM the establishment of a new party and his departure from Likud. He explained that he had dreamed of leading Likud but realized that the state cannot wait for his personal ambitions, and that continued waiting could endanger the state's existence. Erdan described the internal division as causing the tearing apart of hundreds of thousands of families in Israel. Regarding the commission of inquiry into the October 7 events, he expressed support for a real and independent commission that would investigate the political, military, and judicial echelons, and mentioned his experience in the cabinet during Operation Protective Edge, where the judicial system prevented the IDF from bombing suspicious buildings. He also warned against a narrow, blackmailable, and controlled government, and the power of extremist elements.