Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara examines Benny Gantz’s withdrawal from Israel’s 2026 election campaign and what it could mean for the country’s political future.
Bishara suggests Gantz may be positioning himself for a potential presidential bid, while avoiding a direct confrontation with competing political camps. He also examines the longstanding role of former military generals in Israeli politics and their emergence as challengers to populist leaders such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The analysis explores the limits of the opposition’s differences with Netanyahu. While the so-called “change camp” opposes his leadership over corruption allegations and judicial reforms, Bishara argues that major political camps share similar positions on maintaining an Israeli presence in Gaza and continuing settlement expansion.
The discussion asks whether Netanyahu’s opponents offer a substantial alternative on security, the economy and the future of Palestinians, or whether the differences between the rival camps are narrower than their political rhetoric suggests.
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