The Blue and White and New Hope parties have inked an agreement to run as a joint slate during the upcoming national vote, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed in a Sunday memo.
The Israeli defense minister wrote the two parties intend to set out to establish a “responsible, realistic, secure, and liberal” government.
Gantz said the coalition will “say no to racism, no to extremism, and yes to unity for all parts of the country and all types of citizens… ultra-Orthodox, Orthodox, secular; Muslims, Christians, Druse and Jews.”
Final discussions about the alliance between Blue and White (center) and New Hope (center-right) were first reported by The Jerusalem Post.
Israeli Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Bitton would be fifth on the reported list, and Construction and Housing Minister Zeev Elkin would be seventh.
However, Communications Minister Yaoz Hendel is not presently included in the slate.
Sa’ar declared on Sunday that Israel “needs a new home and a way out of this crisis.”
However, he also took time to praise his new running mate.
“Benny stood strong versus the poisonous machine,” Sa’ar said during remarks. “The decisions Gantz made were for the good of the country, and he made them and was able to cope with the backlash.”
Parties have until August 15 to submit their slate of candidates to the Central Elections Committee.