Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan launched a new party on Tuesday, ahead of the election, vowing right-wing principles and universal IDF conscription.
The party, which has not yet been named, was launched with MK Yuli Edelstein, who recently left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party.
The new party will compete against the Likud in the October 27 elections, and will be led by Erdan. Further political figures are expected to be added, and its official name is still to be released.
At the party’s launch in Tel Aviv, Erdan laid out policies calling for haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription to the IDF amid the military’s severe manpower shortage.
He called to pass a Basic Law that would require all Israeli citizens to perform either military or national service. “The law will establish a simple principle: In the State of Israel, every citizen has rights, but also responsibilities,” he said.
Regarding who he would sit in a coalition with, Erdan pledged that his party would not join what he called a “narrow government.”
The party would not rule out a partnership with parties in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu, such as Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot and B’Yachad party leader Naftali Bennett, Erdan told The Jerusalem Post at the launch event.
“We’re not against anyone. It depends on what principles they believe in. If it will meet the principles that we will demand, God willing, in the future, as I said, sharing the burden will definitely be the main principle,” he noted.
“We’re not against anyone, but for sure we want to see a broad government comprised of right-wing parties.”
When asked by the Post if there were any parties he drew a red line on being in a coalition with, Erdan responded that the left-wing Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, was one.
Sitting with Yair Golan a 'clear red line,' says Erdan
“Sitting together with Yair Golan is a clear redline because if it’s a government that will be dependent on his radical views, we can’t be part of such a government,” Erdan said.
“I strongly oppose the worldview of the Left, but I have never hated those who think differently than I do,” he added.
“I have never spoken about their background, their family, or their way of life because a political rival is not the enemy. Our enemies are in Tehran, Gaza, and Lebanon,” Erdan continued.
“All my life I have been a man of the Right. I have never wavered. I believe in the Land of Israel. I believe in settlement. I believe in governance. And I firmly oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said.
He explained that the party would be aimed at right-wing voters who supported Netanyahu’s coalition during the government’s term but were opposed to draft evasion. He noted that it could also be suitable for “right-wing voters in the opposition who do not want a left-wing government.”
“Anyone still stuck in the politics of two opposing blocs is tearing the country apart. For anyone seeking solutions to Israel’s enormous challenges – we are their political home,” he said.
Erdan told the Post that in the coming days additional major figures would be joining his party.
When asked if there were any major security policies that his party would promote that would differ from the Likud, Erdan said that the new figures would be experts in the field and would explain further.
“We will be committed to a very decisive policy when it comes to our Arab neighbors,” he said, noting that “unilateral withdrawal under fire will definitely encourage the radicals and the terrorists.”
“We would like to see a very proactive security policy,” he added. “I urge you to come again in a week or two, and you will hear one of our new security experts describing the policy of our new party.”
Erdan said in May that he was working toward establishing a new right-wing party and saw himself as a candidate for premier in a post-Netanyahu era.
He served as Israel’s ambassador to the UN for four years, from 2020 to 2024, having previously been Israel’s ambassador to the US.
Erdan was a member of the Knesset for Likud for years and held several positions under Netanyahu. His ministerial record covers a wide range of portfolios: environmental protection minister, communications minister, interior minister, public security minister, strategic affairs minister, public diplomacy minister, and regional cooperation minister.
Edelstein left Likud after ongoing tensions
Throughout the government’s term, Edelstein has been a vocal critic of the contentious haredi-backed legislation advanced by Netanyahu’s coalition, which critics argued would encourage draft evasion amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.
He left Likud last month after ongoing tensions with the party.
Edelstein was ousted from his position as chairperson of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee after tensions with the Likud over the conscription law he was attempting to pass to increase haredi enlistment.
The new party’s launch came after reports that senior figures on Israel’s political Right were holding talks on forming a new “statesmanlike” right-wing party, informally referred to as “Likud B.”