Benjamin Netanyahu's top election rival Benny Gantz launches long awaited campaign, as he jumps to second in the polls

Country's popular ex-army chief has kept his campaign shrouded in secrecy

Former Israeli Army's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benny Gantz attends a memorial service for late Israeli writer Amos Oz on December 31, 2018 in Tel Aviv (JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel’s former army chief, who is set to be Benjamin Netanyahu’s biggest election rival, has launched a long-awaited political platform after weeks of feverish speculation pushed him to second favourite in the polls.

Benny Gantz, 59, whose political opinions are virtually unknown, revealed his party’s campaign on Thursday under the slogan “Israel before all” in a khaki colour scheme.

The elections wild card only set up his Israel Resilience Party late last month and has kept silent about whether it would be supporting Israel’s powerful and ruling right or whether he would join the left.

Despite this the paratrooper, who served as chief-of-staff between 2011 and 2015, has already gathered a lot of support and his party is just second to incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu's in a new poll released this week.

On Thursday Lt.Gen Gantz posted his first ever campaign video, inviting his followers on social media to join him for change.

“I put Israel before everything. Join me and we will take a new path together. Because it should be different, it can be different and we will make it different,” he said.

He ended the clip with a joke about his silence saying “I think I’ve spoken too much’”.

Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, called the snap elections – which are due to take place on 9 April – under the shadow of criminal charges.

He is currently enmeshed in three graft cases, which commentators believe may hurt his performance in the vote. The decision whether to indict him is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.

According to new polls released by Channel 10 news on Tuesday, Lt.Gen Gantz is just three points behind Netanyahu as the people’s choice for prime minister: some 41 per cent of respondents selected Netanyahu as their preferred candidate, while 38 per cent chose Gantz. Twenty-one percent said they could not decide between the two.

A separate poll by Israel’s public broadcaster also put Lt. Gen Gantz’s Israel Resilience Party second in the polls, securing 13 of the 120-seat Knesset to Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party which it said would likely take 31.

Israeli commentators say they believe that Gantz, as a former military figure, could win over the Israeli public.

He is presumed to be centre-left and in comparison to Mr Netanyahu’s hawkish allies, he appears a relative moderate when it came to decisions regarding the Palestinians.

He served as head of the army during the 2014 Gaza war, but after the conflict ended he publicly called for Israel’s blockade on the enclave to be lifted to allow goods in.

“People in Israel vote on security. Netanyahu has been a magician about convincing people he has all the answers, and people can sleep well at night,” Amos Harel, defence expert and writer for left-leaning Israeli daily Haaretz, told The Independent.

“But Gantz is not a civilian. He is not a newbie: he is a general, who understands Israel.”

Netanyahu and Gantz visit a tactical headquarters of the Israel army in southern Israel near the border with Gaza on July 21, 2014 during the war (Israeli Government Press Office/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images))

“Also part of the charm is that he hasn’t spoken yet. A lot of his current popularity is because he hasn’t taken any position that anyone can argue about or against,” he added.

The only hint of Gantz’s political leanings was revealed in a rare statement on Monday when he expressed sympathy with Israel’s Arab-Israeli Druze population, whose members serve in the Israeli army and are often fiercely loyal to the state.

Speaking to Druze protesters outside his house in Rosh Ha'ayin, Lt. Gen Gantz said he would do anything in his power to “fix” Israel’s controversial Nation State law which holds a constitution like status and was ratified last summer. In the legislation, Israel is positioned as “national home of the Jewish people”, where only Israeli Jews are given the right to self -determination and the Arabic language was downgraded from a national language to one of special status.

Meanwhile, Mr Netanyahu is facing possible indictment. According to Israeli media, the country’s state prosecutor is likely to recommend he be indicted in case 4000 or “Bezeq” named after a telecommunication company he supposedly awarded regulatory favours to.

He may also face trial in the other two cases, in which police have argued that he received expensive gifts from wealthy friends, and in which he allegedly negotiated a deal with Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper for better coverage.

Mr Netanyahu has vehemently rejected the allegations. He demanded he be allowed to confront the state’s witnesses in a televised address a few weeks ago.

 Gantz is not a civilian. He is not a newbie he is a general, who understands Israel

Amos Harel, Haaretz newspaper 

On Thursday Mr Netanyahu took to social media to try to drum up support at home and abroad in the US by joining in the “10-year challenge”. The Facebook and Twitter phenomenon has seen people post photos of themselves a decade ago next to current images, to show their growth and development.

The Israeli prime minister controversially posted photos of a newly fortified border wall with Egypt and the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, as the examples of Israel’s 10 year progress.

However, Mr Harel still believes the current premier will hold his current position.

“People are seeing these as mid-term elections,” Mr Harel concluded. “Netanyahu will win by a large majority. It will then be up to the attorney-general to decide on his future and whether to indict him.”