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Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Gantz submits 19-member Blue and White slate despite months of polling below electoral threshold
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Benny Gantz’s Blue and White submits its 19-member slate for the October 27 election, despite months of polling below the 3.25% electoral threshold, and in defiance of repeated calls from opposition parties for Gantz to drop out of the race rather than risk wasting votes.
Gantz heads the list, followed by incumbent MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch, reservist commander and longtime political operative Roee Konkol, reservists’ rights activist Rotem Avidar Tzalik and incumbent MK Alon Schuster.
The slate bears little resemblance to the Blue and White faction elected to the current Knesset, which has bled lawmakers over the past year, shrinking from eight MKs to just three. Several former members have since joined Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar, while MK Eitan Ginzburg defected to Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad.
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