Gilad Erdan, Ayelet Shaked announce they will not run in upcoming election

Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan and former justice minister Ayelet Shaked announced Sunday that they will not run in the upcoming election, citing the political reality and the difficulty of advancing their vision for a broad unity government.

Erdan, chairman of the Unity Party, said he decided to withdraw the party from the race after concluding that it was unlikely to cross the electoral threshold and that efforts to merge with other parties had not succeeded.

“Throughout my life, I have served the people of Israel and the State of Israel,” Erdan said. “Out of this sense of mission, I established the Unity Party several weeks ago, because I believe Israel needs a broad Zionist government that can pass a genuine conscription law and resolve disputes.”

“I believed that the terrible massacre of October 7 and the horrific price paid by Israeli citizens required us to change direction,” he added.

Erdan said that after a month of campaigning, it had become clear that most Israelis were primarily focused on determining who should serve as prime minister, rather than forming a broad unity government.

“Unfortunately, after about a month of campaigning, reality shows that in the upcoming election, a large majority of the public is primarily seeking a clear decision regarding the identity of the prime minister. The need for a broad unity government is not high on the public’s list of priorities,” he said.

Erdan: Withdrawing from election is responsible decision

“Despite the many efforts we made, the support for the Unity Party I established does not currently provide a high likelihood that we will cross the electoral threshold,” Erdan said. “In addition, the options for joining with other parties in the unity bloc have not materialized.”

“Therefore, I have decided that the Unity Party will not run in the upcoming election,” he said.

Erdan said withdrawing from the race was a responsible decision intended to ensure that his supporters’ votes would not be wasted.

“Leadership also means recognizing reality as it is and acting responsibly, and I believe we must ensure that the votes of our supporters influence the election results and do not go to waste,” he said.

Ayelet Shaked announces she will not run in upcoming election

Shaked also announced her decision not to run in the upcoming election, expressing disappointment that Israel’s political system had not shifted toward greater cooperation following the October 7 massacre.

“I admit that I hoped that after October 7, Israel’s political reality would change,” Shaked said. “Unfortunately, it appears that even in the upcoming election, the political system is returning to the same patterns of camps and boycotts, with two blocs that, in my view, are tearing the country apart.”

Shaked said she believed a broad government spanning political blocs was necessary to address Israel’s security, diplomatic, and economic challenges, but concluded that such a government was not possible in the current election cycle.

“I think and believe that a broad government spanning the political blocs is necessary to address the security, diplomatic, and economic challenges before us. But it appears that such a government is not possible in the current election cycle,” she said.

Shaked thanked supporters who encouraged her to return to politics and said she would continue contributing to Israel outside the political system.

“I promise that, as always, I will continue contributing to the State of Israel in every way I can,” she said. “Better days will come.”