JERUSALEM, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Benny Gantz is a former Israeli army chief of staff who hopes to oust the country's longest-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the national elections on March 2.
Polls suggest a razor-tight race between the rookie politician and Israel's veteran prime minister.
Gantz's centrist Blue and White party, composed of a mix of leftist, centrist, and right-wing politicians, won 33 seats in last September's election, one seat more than Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party.
The 60-year-old former paratrooper believes he can unseat Netanyahu in the third round of elections to be held in Israel within less than a year.
The two previous rounds of votes ended with inconclusive results, with both Gantz and Netanyahu not having enough votes to build the needed 61-seat government coalition in the 120-seat parliament, or Knesset.
Gantz had no political experience when he established his "Israel Resilience Party" in December 2018 and announced his candidacy for election.
Last February, the party formed an alliance with "Yesh Atid," or "There is Future" in Hebrew, a centrist party led by Yair Lapid, Israel's former finance minister. The alliance was named "Blue and White" after the colors of the Israeli flag.
Gantz was born in Kfar Ahim, an agricultural community in southern Israel established by Jewish immigrants from Europe.
His mother, Malka, was a Hungarian-born and a survivor from the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp.
Gantz was enlisted in the army in 1977 and joined the Paratroopers Brigade. Two years later, he completed the Officer Candidate School and became a company commander in the brigade.
He served as a commander in the 1982 war in Lebanon and was the last commander of the Israeli forces in southern Lebanon before Israel withdrew its forces in May 2000.
He holds academic degrees in history, political science, and national resources management from two universities in Israel and the National Defense University in the United States.
In 2017, he was appointed as a director of Elron Electronic Industries, a holding company focusing on technology and a subsidiary of IDB, one of Israel's largest corporations.
His military background appeals to many Israelis and is a valuable asset as security issues play a key role in election campaigns in Israel.
He uses "unifying" rhetoric calling for healing rifts in the deeply divided Israeli society. His campaign also speaks against the corruption of Netanyahu's government and emphasizes Gantz' clean records.
Gantz vowed not to sit in a coalition with Netanyahu, saying the long-time leader would be unable to fully focus on state-related matters while his corruption trial is ongoing.
Gantz also said he will not include the Joint List, a coalition of Arab parties that represent Israel's 20-percent Arab minority.
He has endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump's Mideast plan and said he would bring it to the approval of the parliament and act to implement it, should he form the next government.
Gantz also vowed to push forward the annexation of the Jordan Valley, part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a highly controversial move suggested by Trump's plan.
