Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, said in an interview on the political podcast 120 and One that he sees himself as the senior figure in the opposition bloc.
Asked who will be the next prime minister, the former chief of staff replied decisively, "I am working to make sure it will be me."
During the interview, Eisenkot delivered a pointed message to Naftali Bennett and criticized the model of government he had previously led.
"I worked to build a leading party with two parties alongside it - Lieberman and Golan. When that did not succeed we moved to plan B. I am working so that four parties will run, with the smaller ones not running or uniting to maximize the votes. It is highly desirable that whoever is the candidate for prime minister receives the broadest possible support in the bloc - certainly not someone who heads a party of six or eight seats. That is not democratic, not appropriate and not desirable," Eisenkot declared.
He said, "There was one experiment and it is preferable not to repeat it. The Israeli public has de-legitimized the previous episode and it is preferable that it not recur - certainly in light of the reality of recent years. It is appropriate that there be a party with a majority and there should be as broad a coalition as possible that will bring wide agreements. Only a government that wins broad legitimacy will do that."
Asked why the attempt to create a large center-left bloc did not succeed, he answered, "I don't think there was only ego here but a difference in worldviews."