The press had predicted that when he entered the prime minister’s office last month, Yair Lapid would lead the bloc of parties running against opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the next election. According to public opinion polls published after he took office, Lapid is expected to win around 22 seats in the Nov. 1 election, making him leader of the second-largest party after Netanyahu’s Likud. Running as a sitting prime minister has its advantages as well.

However, in the last two weeks, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has positioned himself as an alternative to Lapid. How did that happen?

On July 10, Gantz and Justice Minister Gideon Saar announced that they were merging their parties, Blue and White and New Hope, and run together in the upcoming election. The move saved Saar, who was teetering on the electoral threshold and might have seen his party wiped out in the election, and provided Gantz with a much-needed boost. The new party is expected to become the third largest in the Knesset with an estimated 12 seats.

At the press conference to announce the merger, Gantz and Saar explained the move was intended to provide a third option for prime minister and prevent Netanyahu from resuming power. They contend that Lapid will never be able to form a new government because the ultra-Orthodox parties would never join a coalition led by him. Gantz, on the other hand, has close ties with the ultra-Orthodox.