If there is one thing we can learn from the last election cycle, it is that Gantz prefers to enter into a coalition with a corrupt prime minister over working alongside Palestinians. He prefers to dismantle the political project he has led over the past three election campaigns — which was devoid of any cohesive political agenda apart from getting rid of Netanyahu — in favor of joining the prime minister under the banner of working with “anyone but the Arabs.”

There is also a lesson to be learned from so-called “pragmatic” voting. It is difficult to recount the number of people and institutions that placed Gantz’s Blue and White party on a pedestal, claiming he was the only one who could get rid of Netanyahu, and thus voting for him was the sensible thing to do. Voters even left parties such as Meretz and Labor to support an alliance of ex-IDF generals (Gantz himself bragged that he had bombed Gaza back to the stone age) and Likud defectors. All in the name of replacing Netanyahu.

Those same voters are now discovering that they supported a party without any semblance of internal democracy, ideological roots, or a clear sense of identity. They are also discovering that doing so means that some of its leaders ended up taking advantage of voters for personal political gain.

We will all pay the price for Gantz’s decision to whitewash Netanyahu’s corruption, endless rule, dismantling of the opposition, annexation, racism, occupation, siege, and war on the poor.