Gantz and Sa'ar eyeing joint run ahead of Israeli polls

Union could yield more of votes and positions them to compete for the lead against Netanyahu and Lapid after elections, intend to appeal to anti-Netanyahu right wing, ultra-Orthodox parties

Moran Azulai|
Gideon Sa'ar and Benny Gantz were reported on Sunday, to be nearing an agreement to run jointly in the November elections.
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  • Though the due date of the elections is still far off, talks between Blue and White and New hope resumed after their unfruitful end in the last election campaign.
    The party heads and their teams met for talks in the last few days for discussion on their possible union which would see Gantz at the head of the list, with Sa'ar in the second place. The parties are still negotiating the placement of other members from both parties.
    2 View gallery
    בני גנץ, גדעון סער
    בני גנץ, גדעון סער
    Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa'ar
    (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch, Amit Shabi)
    ,According to the latest polls, a joint run could bring them more than double the votes than if they were each to run separately, bolstering the opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu.
    2 View gallery
    Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu
    Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu
    Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu
    (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)
    Both party leaders have said they would not join a Netanyahu led government under any circumstances.
    Gantz had already experienced Netanyahu's broken assurances when the former prime minister reneged on his commitments in the coalition agreement signed between the two early in 2020,
    Sa'ar a former ally of Netanyahu and a high ranking member of the Likud party, launched his independent political venture specifically in order to prevent Netanyahu from holding on to power in the 2021 ballot.
    The two believe themselves to be the only factions in the parliamentary bloc opposing Netanyahu, who could cooperate with ultra-Orthodox parties, who have been part of Netanyahu's right-wing and religious block, in forming a future government.
    This could position their joint list ahead, to form a cabinet after the elections.
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