TEL Aviv _ Palestine News Network
The former Israeli army chief of staff, Ben Gantz, said Thursday he formally entered the election race to challenge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the elections scheduled for April 9 April.
Gantz, seen as a potential black horse for the electoral race, recorded Thursday a new political party called "Hussin lisrael ", "immunity for Israel."
Gantz´s announcement came after weeks of speculation that he would enter the political arena, and opinion polls put his prospective party second to Netanyahu´s Likud party, despite the fact that he did not disclose any details of his political party´s stance.
However, it is expected to pursuing an intermediate and moderate political approach.
Despite his popularity, opinion polls still show that his party will not reap more than half of what the Likud will get.
For example, a poll published by the daily "Israel Today" on Wednesday indicated that the Likud would win 31 seats in the Knesset, while the Gantz party would receive only 15 seats.
Gantz, 59, served as chief of staff of the Israeli army between 2011 and 2015.
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) was dissolved on Wednesday, paving the way for an early election.
