Former Israeli ambassador to the UN and US Gilad Erdan and former Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced the formation of a new right-wing party on Thursday evening. 'We will not sit in any narrow government,' Erdan said. 'True right is conscription and partnership in burden.' The announcement follows weeks of speculation about the partnership.
Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, both former senior Likud figures, officially launched their new political party on Thursday evening, pledging not to join any narrow coalition government. Speaking at the launch event, Erdan said the Likud 'does not represent the voters' and that he 'can no longer call it home.' The party's platform centers on universal military conscription and what the founders describe as 'true right-wing values' of responsibility and shared national burden. Edelstein, who left the Likud last month, reiterated his goal of forming a 'broad Zionist government.'
The announcement capped a day of incremental disclosures. At 18:31 Jerusalem, multiple Israeli media outlets first reported Erdan's solo announcement, in which he criticized Likud and committed to avoiding a narrow coalition. Within the same hour, reports indicated that Edelstein had joined him. The new party's formation follows weeks of speculation: on July 22, The Zioneer reported that Erdan was preparing to announce the party alongside Edelstein. The development also builds on Edelstein's departure from Likud on July 3, when he cited profound disagreements over conscription policy as the breaking point.
The new party enters a political landscape fragmented by coalition negotiations. As The Zioneer reported on July 7, Yashar party chair Gadi Eisenkot has argued that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot form a government committed to universal service. The Erdan-Edelstein party positions itself as a right-wing alternative that rejects narrow coalitions, a stance that could reshape the dynamics of coalition building.
The party's name has not been disclosed in the reports. It remains unclear whether additional figures will join the new framework, though earlier reports indicated that Ayelet Shaked and Benny Gantz would not participate.
8 developments
- DevelopingGilad Erdan prepares to announce new right-wing party with Edelstein — report
- DevelopingErdan and Edelstein nearing announcement of joint political run, N12 reports
- DevelopingSegal: Gantz insists on top spot, stalling talks; Erdan, Edelstein likely to announce this week
- DevelopingGantz hints at political unification: 'Patience'
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