Gilad Erdan Withdraws Unity Party From 2026 Election Race

Gilad Erdan, chairman of the Unity Party and former ambassador to the United Nations, announced on Friday that his party will not run in Israel's 2026 election. Erdan stated that the party is unlikely to cross the electoral threshold and that efforts to form mergers with other parties failed to materialize. He noted that voters appear more focused on the identity of the next prime minister than on his platform of establishing a broad unity government.

Reports indicate that merger talks between Unity and the Blue and White party failed. According to N12 News, Unity officials suggested the meetings lacked substantive commitments and were intended to generate media attention. A poll by N12 found that a combined list of the two parties would likely still fail to cross the electoral threshold, garnering only 2.6 percent support. Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz stated in an interview with Walla that he would not relinquish the top spot in any merger talks.

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, praised Erdan's withdrawal as a responsible and leadership driven decision. Eisenkot urged other parties struggling to cross the threshold to suspend their campaigns to increase the chances of replacing the current government. Meanwhile, other parties continue to finalize their slates before the Tuesday deadline, with Ben Gvir appointing Gotliv as number two in his far right party.