Moshe Ya'alon
Moshe Ya'alonHadas Parush/Flash 90

Former Defense Minister MK Moshe Ya’alon on Friday confirmed that he would be running together with former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot in the next election.

Speaking to Channel 12 News, Ya’alon, who heads the Telem party and is himself a former IDF Chief of Staff, also said that he would be splitting from Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party. Lapid on Thursday expressed a desire to continue the alliance with Ya’alon.

“The final decision will only be made when the election is announced, but the direction I am looking at is that a new force needs to be built. We need a force that will speak to an audience that doesn’t think about things in terms of right vs. left but rather in terms of honest vs. corrupt,” said Ya'alon and added, “Lapid and I will probably have to run separately."

When asked if he would run with Eizenkot if the election is brought forward, he replied: "Yes." Asked who would be number 1 and who would be number 2, Ya’aon replied, "There is no discussion about this because Gadi Eizenkot learned the lesson from Benny Gantz. If he enters, then it is clear that he joined my party and that I am the leader."

"One needs to acquire some political, ministerial experience that I have and he does not have. He is an excellent man, but yes, this is a different arena than the military arena,” said Ya’alon.

Despite his intention to split from Lapid, Ya’alon complimented him and said, "Lapid can be an excellent prime minister, the public will judge, but in the current format we are blocked." Ya'alon explained that he was told in conversations he had, "We will vote for you but not in this format - the public seems to be moving to the right."

Ya’alon also had criticism for Benny Gantz, saying, "It is not certain that Benny Gantz will run in the next election and that Blue and White will pass the electoral threshold. The disappointment from them is enormous, both for me personally and for the public. Benny Gantz perpetuates Netanyahu's rule, he’s not fit to be prime minister. His failure was entering the government with Netanyahu."

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)