Another party in the "Third Bloc": Gilad Erdan at the head, Yuli Edelstein second
Former minister Gilad Erdan is set to announce a new party within the "Third Bloc." He will be joined by MK Yuli Edelstein, who will serve as the party's second-in-command.
After weeks of negotiations, former minister and ambassador Gilad Erdan, who left the Likud party, is expected to announce on Thursday the establishment of a new party. It will operate within what has been dubbed the "Third Bloc"—a movement promising not to provide a majority to any single bloc and to enforce the formation of a broad coalition.
He will be joined by another defector from Likud, MK Yuli Edelstein, who will hold the second position in the party's leadership. On Sunday, Erdan issued a sharp response to remarks attributed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a closed-door meeting, alleging that the Prime Minister is performing a U-turn regarding the law on military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox students.
"We are no longer buying promises about 'conscription', we are no longer buying promises about 'unity'. We will not sit in a narrow government, of anyone," Erdan wrote on the X network.
With this statement, Erdan revealed his core message: courting voters disappointed with the current coalition and its partnership with ultra-Orthodox parties. However, Erdan faces claims that he acts as a "proxy" for Netanyahu, given his Likud background and the fact that his intended list members are identified with the national camp. Critics argue that if he clears the electoral threshold, he might ultimately help Netanyahu secure a 61-seat majority.
It remains unclear whether there is sufficient room for another entity in the "Third Bloc." MK Benny Gantz insists on running in the upcoming elections, while Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper have announced their candidacy as part of the "Zionist Home - The Reservists" party, which has shown potential to pass the threshold in some polls.
Simultaneously, Edelstein has held negotiations with Benny Gantz as part of Ayelet Shaked's efforts to unite small parties. Last month, Edelstein met with Shaked, Gantz, and Dadi Simhi to explore a potential merger. The prevailing assessment is that the current fragmentation of parties makes it unlikely for any small list to pass the electoral threshold without significant consolidation.
