The Blue and White found itself embroiled in a mini-crisis on Wednesday after one of its MKs defected to Likud.
MK Gadi Yevarkan was removed from the Blue and White candidate slate after it became apparent that he was defecting to Likud, just hours before the filing deadline with the Central Elections Committee.
Blue and White said he had been holding talks with Likud over a coveted spot in its candidate list for the Knesset general election on March 2.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz announced the unusual step on twitter and later it was announced that Yevarkan had secured the 20th spot on the Likud's Knesset list.
With Israel going to a third election in less than a year, Blue and White hoped it could count on him to remain on the list and potentially cater to black voters, but eventually it concluded he was unlikely to stick with them and opted to pre-empt his defection on Tuesday.
Political sources told Israel Hayom that Yevarkan has apparently sought to move up the candidate list in Blue and White by claiming that he could deliver "three Knesset seats" to the party because of his prominent position in the Ethiopian-Israeli community.
The move sparked debate on Twitter as to whether Blue and White was turning its back on black Israelis, although others pointed out that Yevarkan himself appeared to be acting in his own self-interest, having been a vociferous critic of Prime Minister Netanyahu's treatment of Israelis of Ethiopian descent.
