A businessman who is very close to opposition leader and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu recently approached former Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi with a tempting offer: To run in the upcoming elections as part of the Likud and be guaranteed a spot on the party’s slate, journalist Ben Caspit reported on Channel 12 News on Friday evening.
Ashkenazi rejected the offer outright, according to the report.
The appeal to Ashkenazi comes at a time when Netanyahu is fighting for the votes of people who are considered “statesmanlike right-wing”, some of whom have moved from the Likud to Gideon Sa'ar. It appears that this is an attempt to bring them back and strengthen the power of the Likud.
At the same time, according to Channel 12 News, it appears that Blue and White and New Hope are also targeting the same voters and are looking for a personality like Ashkenazi who can stabilize their power.
Ashkenazi, a former IDF Chief of Staff, joined politics in 2019 as part of Blue and White. He was appointed Foreign Minister in 2020, as part of the government led by Netanyahu and Benny Gantz.
He announced in June of last year that he would be stepping down from politics but did not rule out a future return.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)