A day before the country votes (again), Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said Tuesday that if he were elected prime minister, he would appoint Gabi Ashkenazi defense minister and Moshe Ya'alon education minister.
Previous reports have said that Ya'alon, who holds the third place on the Blue and White list, was Gantz's preferred candidate for defense minister, a role in which he has already served.
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The agreement between the parties that form Blue and White – Yesh Atid, Telem, and the Israel Resilience Party – does not specifically mention which candidates will be assigned to which cabinet positions if the party wins the election.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to respond to the report, asking on Twitter, "What ministerial portfolios is Benny Gantz promising [Joint Arab List MKs] Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi?"
Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz responded to Gantz's remarks, saying, "After they couldn't convince Lapid to forgo the rotation, Blue and White is trying a new spin: Ashkenazi as defense minister in a shadow cabinet."
Gantz tweeted in response: "There are two areas of utmost importance to Israel – defense and education. Therefore, I've decided to pick Gabi Ashkenazi, a former chief of staff and the person who rehabilitated the IDF after the Second Lebanon War, to the role of defense minister.
"He knew how to restore deterrence and a sense of security to Israelis in the south, in the western Negev, and in the north, as well as everywhere else in Israel. I want former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to serve as education minister to heal the rifts in Israeli society," Gantz said.
