Gantz rejected overtures Kan details Likud approach

Date unknown

Shahar Glick follows up Benny Gantz's earlier interview about Likud overtures. He says Likud figures confirmed approaches and offered an immediate ministerial job before the election; defense minister was floated by an intermediary as a possibility rather than a serious finalized offer. He says Gantz rejected the approaches and interprets them as an effort to project moderation and unity. Likud denies offering a reserved slot; Blue and White says only a cross-bloc Zionist government addressing public problems is relevant and rejects jobs or honors as a motive. The report does not establish an agreed cabinet appointment or formal defense-minister offer.

In a Roni Koban interview excerpt, Benny Gantz says he rejected a very senior, secure Likud position on principle and in pursuit of unity. He will not identify the intermediary or confirm a defense-minister offer. Kan reports Likud sources describing informal approaches by senior figures over recent months, excluding Netanyahu, and denying a formal numbered-slot offer or finalized deal. The report does not establish an agreed offer. In Kan's October 4 follow-up, Shahar Glick says Likud figures confirmed informal approaches that included an immediate ministerial job before the election. He describes defense minister as an intermediary's floated possibility rather than a serious finalized offer. Likud denies a reserved-slot offer; Blue and White says a cross-bloc Zionist government addressing public problems is relevant and rejects jobs or honors as a motive. The later report does not establish a formal appointment or resolve the original approaches' dates.