Report: Gantz Ready to Move Ahead With His Own Party

Former IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz is set to enter politics – heading his own party, Hadashot News reported. Gantz has gotten the 130 signatures needed to officially establish the party, although he has not filed the paperwork yet. A name for the party has been chosen, but the report did not reveal it.

According to the report, the reason that the paperwork has not been filed is that Gantz has still not made a final decision to enter politics. If and when early elections are announced, he will submit the paperwork and declare his candidacy for the Knesset if he decides finally to enter the political arena. In recent months, Gantz has been recruited both by the Likud and Zionist Camp.

In a poll by the Israel Democracy Institute released over the weekend, Binyamin Netanyahu is still seen as the best candidate for prime minister by 41 percent of Israelis. With that, one-third said they preferred to see Gantz in that position if he chooses to run. Following both is Yair Lapid, preferred by 23 percent of Israelis, Naftali Bennett by 21 percent, MK Tsipi Livni by 19 percent, and MK Avigdor Liberman by 17 percent. At the bottom of the list is former Prime Minister Ehud Barak with 14 percent of Israelis preferring to see him heading the country, and Zionist Camp head Avi Gabay with 10 percent.