The Reservists Party will do what is necessary to ensure the formation of a government without haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and Arab parties, it told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday, when asked about reports of a potential alliance with MK Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party ahead of the upcoming elections.
“Our mission is to ensure the formation of a Zionist government without the ultra-Orthodox and Arab parties, with proper leadership. We are doing everything to make that happen,” the Reservists Party said.
The response came amid reports that Gantz has been in contact with Reservists Party leader Yoaz Hendel to form a political alliance ahead of elections scheduled for no later than October 2026.
Both the Blue and White Party and the Reservists Party have failed to pass the electoral threshold in recent polls.
Hendel’s Reservists Party comprises reserve soldiers, their families, wounded veterans, bereaved families, and civilian volunteers. It was established in September 2025 ahead of elections scheduled for no later than this October.
The party has positioned itself as a response to the leadership vacuum following the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, and it calls for universal conscription. Among its main principles is that it will not sit in a government with any party whose members do not serve in the IDF.
Reservists Party campaign against haredi and Arab parties
It launched a campaign last Wednesday against haredi and Arab parties ahead of the elections, calling to stop those who do not serve in the IDF from voting or running for the Knesset.
Blue and White denied reports of alliances, stating in an X/Twitter post on Saturday that it would “continue to lead the formation of an Israel-focused bloc. A bloc that will establish a broad, Zionist government, without extremists, after the upcoming elections.”
“The spin claiming that the position of president was offered to Gantz by opposition figures is completely false and irrelevant,” the party added.
In a Channel 12 interview on Saturday evening, Gantz was shown a recent poll indicating that a merger with Hendel’s Reservists would enable Blue and White to clear the electoral threshold and win 4 seats.
Gantz declined to speak directly about potential mergers during the interview, though he confirmed that he was in talks with various political figures who could help him achieve his goals. He said that he was “focused on what will happen in the State of Israel.”
“The reservists [serving in the IDF] are exhausted, and what will solve the problems is a broad government. I’m glad the poll shows a new trend; for me, it doesn’t change much,” Gantz added.
He said he was “not interested in the question of who will be the next prime minister but rather in what the composition of the government will be.”
“The next government must be a broad Zionist government, without extremists,” Gantz said.
A Channel 12 report last week noted that Gantz had met with former prime minister Naftali Bennett to discuss a possible merger. Bennett is currently the leading rival candidate to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, consistently trailing the ruling Likud party in recent polls.
Gantz confirmed that the two had met, though he did not elaborate on what was discussed. “The coffee was fine; I assume we’ll meet again,” he said. “There is one central issue I am focused on: a unity government.”
“The past seven years have been difficult for the State of Israel. What matters to me is not what I will do, but the State of Israel. I don’t think playing political bloc games solves Israel’s problems,” he said. “There is only one solution, a broad Zionist government.”
Gantz’s party suffered several setbacks after multiple MKs left the faction over the past year.
One of the most significant departures was Gantz’s second-in-command, Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, who now leads the competing Yashar! Party.
Eiskenot’s party has emerged as a key competitor within the opposition bloc, challenging Netanyahu and consistently coming up directly behind Bennett’s party.
Although the Blue and White Party is in opposition, Gantz has served in two unity governments under Netanyahu and has been criticized for a back-and-forth approach.
Gantz brought his party into Netanyahu’s government for a brief period at the start of the Israel-Hamas War. He returned to the opposition in June 2024, however, claiming that Netanyahu was making political considerations part of his wartime decision-making.
Source:
www.jpost.com
