The strategy of the Blue and White Party is to defeat the Likud by enough mandates that President Reuven Rivlin would have to permit party leader Benny Gantz to form a government, Gantz said in a closed conversation with party activists revealed by Channel 12 on Wednesday.
Channel 12 reporter Lehava Bloom infiltrated Gantz’s campaign as a volunteer activist. She filmed a casual conversation with Gantz and 30 young activists at 11 p.m. over beer.
“What matters is winning the most seats and creating a feeling of victory,” Gantz told the activists. “Only political analysts care about blocs. We won’t win due to blocs, but if the gap in seats is dramatic, no one will be able to ignore the numbers.”
Speaking about his diplomatic plan, Gantz said he wanted to reach an agreement with the Palestinians in which most settlements would remain. He singled out Beit Arye, Peduel and the communities around them as settlements where current residents could “raise great-grandchildren there.”
Gantz described himself to the reporter, who identified herself as religiously observant, as very respectful of observance and “wearing a transparent kippah.”
Meanwhile, Channel 13 aired a report on how in 2010, Blue and White’s current number four candidate Gabi Ashkenazi – who was IDF chief of staff then – tried to use then-president Shimon Peres, then-education minister Gideon Sa’ar and then-Histadrut chairman Ofer Eini against then-defense minister Ehud Barak.
Blue and White fell by two seats in the past week, according to polls taken by TNS for KAN. Last week’s poll projected 37 seats for the party, and Wednesday’s poll found the party would win 35, compared to 30 for Likud, which gained one seat since last week.
The poll predicted a 61 to 59 win for the Right-Center bloc over the Left-Center bloc, thanks in party to former Likud MK Moshe Feiglin’s party crossing the 3.25% electoral threshold and winning four seats. Yisrael Beytenu and Gesher, however, would both fail to enter the Knesset.Ilanit Chernick contributed to this report