Ex-Likud minister Gilad Erdan says he is considering establishing right-wing party |
Following months of unconfirmed media reports, former UN ambassador Gilad Erdan told Radio 103FM on Tuesday morning that he is considering establishing a new right-wing political party to compete with Likud, stating that he sees himself as a potential premier once Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves politics.
“The goal is to establish a new right-wing party. I want to lead and head such a framework, and I am examining whether there is political feasibility for it,” said Erdan, a lifelong Likud member who served as an MK and minister in Netanyahu governments for decades.
“In the post-Netanyahu era, I see myself as a candidate for prime minister. I know what Israel needs. If I felt comfortable with what is happening in the Likud, I would return to political activity within the party,” he added.
Erdan first entered the Knesset as a Likud MK in 2003 and has served as public security, communications and regional cooperation minister, among other roles. He has clashed with Netanyahu over positions, rejected claims that criminal investigations into him were politically motivated, and was reportedly one of several party MKs who were looking to oust the prime minister following his 2019 indictment. Netanyahu appointed him to the post of Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations in 2020, a move which removed him from the domestic political scene. He also briefly served as ambassador to Washington.
Erdan has been mentioned repeatedly in reports about the possible formation of a new party tentatively dubbed “Likud B,” aimed at creating a more “statesmanlike” alternative to the ruling party, which would eschew some of the extreme populist elements of Netanyahu’s current party.
The effort is said to involve current and former Likud figures who have had tensions with Netanyahu,........