'Right, enlistment, unity': Ex-UN ambassador Gilad Erdan launches new party with Edelstein

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, launched a new right-wing party on Tuesday, joined by MK Yuli Edelstein, who recently left the Likud party. Erdan, who served as ambassador from 2020-2024 and previously held multiple ministerial roles under Benjamin Netanyahu, aims to establish a party that "would not rely on extremists" and work towards a "government of national reconciliation." Edelstein, formerly of Likud, has been a vocal critic of haredi-backed legislation regarding military enlistment and was ousted from his position as chairperson of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee due to tensions over a conscription law he sought to pass. The new party seeks to offer an alternative for voters and potentially form a broad government without extremist factions, without committing in advance to any specific political bloc.