In shame: The chairman of the Unity Party, Gilad Erdan, announced today (Friday) that the party he founded will not run in the upcoming election.
According to him, the decision was made after it became clear that support for the party did not guarantee a high probability of passing the electoral threshold, and that attempts at additional political connections had not matured.
During his election campaign, Erdan joined in the incitement against the ultra-Orthodox public and demanded the conscription of yeshiva graduates. His decision to resign was greeted with jubilation on ultra-Orthodox social media.
Along with him, Yuli Edelstein also finds himself without a political home.
Erdan: "Throughout my entire life, I have served the people of Israel and the State of Israel. Out of this sense of mission, I founded the "Unity" party a few weeks ago, because I believe that Israel needs a broad Zionist government that can pass a real conscription law and resolve disputes.".
According to him, the decision to establish the party also stemmed from the reality created following the October 7 attack. "I believed that the terrible massacre of October 7 and the terrible price paid by the citizens of Israel required us to change direction.".
Erdan explained that after about a month of campaigning, he came to the conclusion that the public's priorities were different. "Unfortunately, after about a month of campaigning, reality shows that in the upcoming elections, a large majority of the public is seeking, above all, a clear decision on the question of the identity of the prime minister, and the need for a broad unity government is not high on the citizens' priority list.".
He added: "Despite the many efforts we have made, the support so far for the 'Unity' party that I founded does not guarantee with high probability that the threshold will be passed, and the possibilities of joining forces with other parties in the Unity bloc are also not being realized.".
""Therefore, I have decided that the Unity Party will not run in the upcoming election.".
Erdan emphasized that for him, the decision to withdraw from the race stems from a responsibility to the party's voters. "Leadership is also about recognizing reality as it is and acting responsibly, and I believe we must ensure that the votes of our voters will influence the outcome of the elections and not go down the drain.".
The Unity Chairman thanked the activists and his partners in the party leadership: "I thank everyone who believed in the path of unity, volunteered, supported and helped, and especially my friends in the party leadership - Yuli Edelstein, Aliza Bloch, Oren Smedja and Hazi Nechama - for their partnership, action and belief in the path. I had the honor of leading this wonderful group. People of high standing who believe in the idea of unity and its importance and will continue to fight for it wherever they are.".
Erdan clarified that the decision does not mark the end of his public activity. "Today I am withdrawing my candidacy from the Unity Party, but not my public commitment and my path as a public servant. I will continue to act in any way I can for the people, for the IDF soldiers, and for a better future in Israel.".
