Blue and White party chairman MK Benny Gantz gave a speech on Monday night following the TV exit polls that showed an advantage for the right-wing camp and the Likud.
"We stand tonight at the end of one of the most difficult election campaigns in Israel. I understand and share in the feeling of disappointment and pain. This is not the result we wanted and not the result that will get Israel back on track," said Gantz.
“Let’s take a look at the half full glass, less than a year ago we set off and created this amazing thing called Blue and White. We will not give up our values and principles. They spread many lies about us and about me personally. They thought I'd panic, blink. It did not happen."
Gantz mentioned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s upcoming trial and said, "Regardless of the results of the election - criminal proceedings are clarified only in court. We should not forget that in two weeks from now, Netanyahu will sit on the bench in court with [an indictment over] three serious crimes."
He continued, "The results may be the same as the results of the elections in April 2019. Then too, when it seemed that we were headed towards the opposition, we remained united and loyal to our path. We will continue to be a significant and powerful force in the fight for the image of Israel."
"We will not permit anybody do destroy the state. We will not allow anybody to separate us. We will not allow anybody to tear apart Israeli society and crush democracy. The state needs recovery, it needs unity and reconciliation, it longs for leadership. I am not afraid of a long road," concluded Gantz.