MK Benny Gantz, the leader of Blue and White, declared that he would not align with other opposition figures and would not declare a boycott on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It's time to abandon 'Anyone but Bibi' and move to 'Anyone but extremists.' We need to stop the civil war that's on the horizon - we are close to a situation where someone could die here," Gantz said in an interview with Attila Somfalvi.
He emphasized that he has no intention of assisting Netanyahu but would not refuse to sit in his government after the elections, if such a government were formed.
"I will not give Netanyahu the 61st vote. I’ve never given him that. Every time I joined his government, it was because there was no other choice. It was always despite Netanyahu, not for Netanyahu. I gave Bennett and Lapid a government in their hands, despite the fact that I had the opportunity to be prime minister. They lost it. The responsibility is on them," Gantz said.
According to him, "I intend to do everything to ensure Netanyahu doesn’t have 61, but if the people decide that this is what happens, I will go to my opposition friends, to Lapid, to Ayelet, to Gantz, and tell them we must not repeat the mistakes of the last elections, and this irresponsibility again. I will call on them to join me and isolate the extremists. I will not allow Itamar Ben Gvir to be the defense minister for our children."
On the possibility of forming a minority government relying on the Arab parties, he said: "After October 7, this is not possible. You cannot make such fateful decisions for Israel’s security. I will not sit in a government with someone who just yesterday shouted, 'Gaza will win.' We will address the Arab society, which is an integral part of Israeli society, but we cannot rely on them for the government. The Arab parties cannot decide whether we go to war or not."
He sharply criticized leaders of other opposition parties: "Whoever on October 7 saw women raped, people kidnapped, babies murdered, and was afraid of losing mandates while our brothers bled in the south - they should not preach to me about how to behave as a leader. They want to win the civil war, and I want to prevent it. Hating Bibi more than you love the country and sitting in the stands screaming instead of making a change - that's weakness."
When asked about the situation in the polls, he responded: "I do not intend to give up the fight for the State of Israel. I represent 80 mandates that want and need what I am offering. Who exactly is telling me to quit? People who were not willing to step up when citizens were massacred here? People to whom I gave a government and they wasted it? They should not preach to me. I will not waste votes, and I will continue to serve the entire State of Israel, those who voted for me and those who did not."