Gadi Eisenkot, the former chief of the Israeli military, is emerging as Benjamin Netanyahu’s main opponent ahead of the general election Israel will hold on October 27.
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A poll published by Channel 12 predicts that “Yashar,” Eisenkot’s new party, will secure 23 seats in the Knesset, one more than Netanyahu’s Likud. In the same poll, 43% of respondents consider Eisenkot the most suitable candidate for prime minister, while Netanyahu is backed by 34%.
At 66, Eisenkot has based his campaign on a 10-point platform through which he pledges to restore security and national unity, as well as strengthen democratic institutions. The program’s priority is the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, over which the Netanyahu government has faced accusations of intelligence failures.
His proposals include drafting a new national security doctrine and extending compulsory military service to ultra-Orthodox Jews and Arab citizens. Eisenkot has not yet presented a detailed strategy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but he has pledged to safeguard judicial independence, the rule of law, press freedom, and minority rights.
According to analysts’ assessments, his support is growing among disillusioned right-wing and centrist voters. For this reason, he is regarded as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Netanyahu in the upcoming election.
