Former Likud minister and former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan announced Friday that his newly established Unity Party will not compete in the upcoming Knesset election, saying weeks of campaigning failed to produce enough support to give the party a strong chance of crossing the electoral threshold.

Erdan founded the party only a few weeks ago, arguing that Israel needed a broad Zionist government capable of passing a conscription law and resolving major disputes facing the country. He said the October 7 massacre and the heavy price paid by Israelis convinced him that the political system needed to change direction.

But after roughly a month on the campaign trail, Erdan said it had become clear that most voters were focused above all on the question of who should serve as prime minister, while the idea of forming a broad unity government ranked much lower among their priorities.

Erdan added that despite extensive efforts, support for the Unity Party remained too weak to ensure that it could pass the electoral threshold. Attempts to form alliances with other parties in what he described as the unity bloc also failed to produce an agreement.

“Therefore, I have decided that the Unity Party will not be running in the upcoming election campaign,” Erdan said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)