Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli military chief, formally launched the campaign for his new political party, Yashar (which means “Straight” or “Honest”). Eisenkot has positioned himself as a strong contender for the prime minister’s post and is widely considered a chief rival to the current Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The 66-year-old former military chief aims to rebuild Israel; however, he believes that only a broad coalition with other parties can position him to lead the country in the next general elections.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot?
Eisenkot is a former Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who has emerged as a major contender for the premiership. According to political analysts, Eisenkot’s Yashar party is gaining significant momentum and could become a formidable opponent to Netanyahu’s Likud party in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Unlike Netanyahu, who has spent decades in politics, Eisenkot’s background is primarily military. He recently resigned from Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet, arguing that “Bibi” lacked a clear strategy in Gaza, a conflict that has led to the deaths of numerous soldiers, including Eisenkot’s own son.
Eisenkot Seen as the “Anti-Netanyahu”
Eisenkot served for over four decades in the IDF, holding its top position as Chief of Staff from 2015 to 2019. Analysts believe Eisenkot is a frontrunner precisely because he represents everything Netanyahu is not. “He is not polarizing, he is not a populist like Netanyahu, and he will try to unify the country,” experts state. His campaign promises include strengthening the defense forces through regional partnerships, investing heavily in healthcare and education, establishing a state commission of inquiry into the failures that led to the October 7 attacks, and expanding compulsory national service under the slogan “Service for All.”
Can Eisenkot Defeat Netanyahu?
Eisenkot entered politics just four years ago and won a parliamentary seat in the 2022 elections. Following the October 7 attacks, he joined Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet. However, he resigned a few months later, accusing the Prime Minister of lacking a clear strategy for the war in Gaza. Eisenkot has also suffered profound personal losses during the Israel-Gaza war, losing his 25-year-old son, Gal Meir Eisenkot, alongside two of his nephews in combat. These immense personal tragedies have given Eisenkot a deeply relatable face of grief that resonates heavily with the public ahead of the elections.
Eisenkot Dismisses Demands for a Palestinian State
Despite being a fierce critic of Netanyahu over the years, Eisenkot aligns with traditional security stances and has rejected demands for a Palestinian state, calling the concept “irrelevant” under current conditions. At the same time, he has attacked Netanyahu for yielding to US pressure regarding a ceasefire in Lebanon. Eisenkot is also historically associated with the “Dahiyeh doctrine”, a military strategy he outlined in a 2006 interview, stating that what happened to the Dahiyeh quarter of Beirut would happen to any village from which shots are fired against Israel.
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