Kicking him out: Gadi Eisenkot's dramatic plan to save the leftist bloc

Gadi Eisenkot's campaign team plans to increase pressure on Benny Gantz to withdraw from the race and endorse Eisenkot, in order to consolidate votes and prevent waste in the leftist bloc. Meanwhile, the team is debating whether to launch a 'the largest party forms the government' campaign, amid concerns that Bennett and Lieberman will put forward their own candidates for prime minister. A final decision has not yet been made.

In the coming days, Gadi Eisenkot's campaign team intends to focus significant efforts on persuading Benny Gantz to withdraw from the prime ministerial race. The goal is not merely to lower his poll numbers but to get him to announce his withdrawal and endorse Eisenkot, thereby consolidating Blue and White's votes and preventing vote wastage in the leftist bloc. The team estimates that Gantz will not pass the electoral threshold under any circumstances, and that his withdrawal could boost Eisenkot's strength and give him momentum to become the largest party in the bloc. Simultaneously, the team is deeply debating whether to run a 'largest party in the bloc' campaign. On one hand, Eisenkot wants to launch a campaign stating that the largest party will form the government, based on the assessment that this move will increase his standing at the expense of other parties. Supporters of the move among his staff say it stems from a dual concern: that Likud under Netanyahu will end up as the largest party in the Knesset, allowing him to demand the mandate to form a government even without 61 seats for the right-wing bloc; and that Bennett and Lieberman have not yet declared Eisenkot as their candidate for prime minister. The major fear is that if Eisenkot finishes too low, it will provide fertile ground for Lieberman and Bennett to demand the premiership themselves. Opponents of the move believe the current course should continue, even if it causes stagnation in the polls, out of consideration for the good of the entire camp. As of now, no final decision has been made, and discussions continue behind the scenes in an attempt to secure the support of Bennett and Lieberman before launching a public move.