Benny Gantz on Gideon Sa'ar breaking away: Not the time for politics

• Published date: 13 March 2024
• Author: ELIAV BREUER
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"A very large public believes in the path of a nationalist-liberal statesmanlike right wing, in the spirit of the worldviews of [former prime ministers] Menachem Begin and Yitzhak Shamir," said New Hope MK Ze'ev Elkin. "Starting now, that public has an address in this Knesset, New Hope. A very large public feels that we are beginning to trod in place, we must invest in creative thinking to change how the war is conducted. We will fight for this change to happen."

Elkin said that the name of the new party will be called "Hayamin Hamamlachti," which translates roughly as the "Statesmanlike Right." However, a spokesperson for Sa'ar said the name in English will continue to be New Hope until a formal translation is announced.

MK Pnina Tamano-Shata of National Unity said at the committee meeting that the split was "a divorce that was known in advance," as the two factions ran in the election as separate entities in the same list, and never actually merged.

Gantz was unaware of Sa'ar's timing

National Unity head Gantz acknowledged in a press conference earlier on Wednesday that there were "challenges in the government's conduct," and that "real operational needs and correct priorities were being harmed as a result of political conduct," but said that "now was not the time for politics.

"Now we must concentrate on the unifying, [on what's] correct, and victory. When the war ends, we will go to an election. Anyone who runs will explain what he's proposing, and what he did during this difficult time for the country," Gantz said.

Gantz's responses during the question-and-answer session that followed his statement were uncharacteristically curt. He said that he was not aware of Sa'ar's plan to announce the secession on Tuesday evening, but that he did know about Sa'ar's plans in general.

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