Can a centrist political party survive the volatile landscape of Israeli coalition politics?
In short: Founded by former military chief Benny Gantz, the Blue and White party has navigated a turbulent decade of shifting alliances, rotating premierships, and repeated elections. From its origins as the Israel Resilience Party to its recent struggles to clear electoral thresholds, the party reflects the deep divisions within Israeli governance.
Blue and White began in December 2018 as the Israel Resilience Party, established by Benny Gantz following a three-year legal cooling-off period after his tenure as Chief of the General Staff. The party quickly sought to position itself as a centrist force, aiming to balance Zionist values with democratic governance. By early 2019, it formed an alliance with Telem and Yesh Atid, adopting the name Blue and White. This coalition was built on a rotation agreement for the premiership between Gantz and Yair Lapid, signaling a high-stakes attempt to challenge the long-standing leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu.
The party's trajectory has been defined by the intense volatility of Israeli elections between 2019 and 2026. In April 2019, Blue and White tied Likud with 35 seats, yet failed to form a government. Subsequent cycles saw the party enter a unity government with Likud during the COVID-19 pandemic, a move that caused internal fractures and the eventual dissolution of the alliance. By 2022, Gantz had formed the National Unity alliance, which later underwent further restructuring and renaming as the political landscape continued to shift under the pressures of war and internal ideological disputes.
By 2026, the party faced significant existential challenges. As Gantz pushed for a 'third bloc'—a centrist alternative to both the right-wing and the established opposition—he struggled with member defections and declining poll numbers. On 9 September 2026, as the list for the upcoming election was finalized, only three of the eight sitting members remained. Gantz eventually pledged to withdraw the party from the race if it failed to meet the electoral threshold, highlighting the precarious nature of political movements attempting to navigate the rigid, polarized structure of the Knesset.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Blue and White (political party)
- Also: Blue and White | political alliance, Israel | Britannica
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