Former IDF Chief Gadi Eisenkot Emerges as Leading Opposition Candidate in Israeli Election
Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, is now the opposition's top contender to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the October 27 election, with polls projecting his party to win 20-23 Knesset seats.
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has become the opposition’s leading candidate ahead of the October 27 parliamentary election. At 66, Eisenkot, the son of Moroccan immigrants, spent four decades in the military before entering politics in 2022 alongside Benny Gantz. After serving in the emergency war cabinet following the October 7 Hamas attack, he and Gantz left the cabinet in June 2024, citing a lack of a clear post-war strategy.
Eisenkot’s personal loss – his youngest son was killed in Gaza in December 2023 – has been a central element of his political narrative. He wrote in a newspaper that he vowed his son’s sacrifice would not be in vain, framing it as a driving force behind his campaign.
Opinion polls show Eisenkot’s Yashar party could secure 20 to 23 of the 120 Knesset seats, outpacing Likud, and he leads Netanyahu in head-to-head favorability. However, Israel’s coalition system means that forming a government will require negotiations with multiple parties, including potential support from Arab parties, which Netanyahu has historically opposed.
Eisenkot’s platform emphasizes domestic accountability, proposing a state commission to investigate the October 7 attacks and advocating universal conscription or national service. While he shares Netanyahu’s security stance on Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, he criticizes the current handling of the Gaza war and calls for a more decisive end to Hamas rule.
On the Palestinian issue, Eisenkot rejects a two-state solution, describing it as unrealistic, but opposes formal annexation and settlement expansion in the contested E1 area, citing international repercussions. He also pledges to curb settler violence.
U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Netanyahu, stating that any other Israeli leader would be the “wrong leader.” Eisenkot and other opposition figures have asked the United States to remain neutral in the Israeli race, but Trump’s comments suggest a continued preference for the incumbent.
Analysts note that a government led by Eisenkot, without the far-right partners of Netanyahu’s bloc, could be more moderate and potentially facilitate broader regional diplomatic initiatives, including progress toward Saudi-Israeli normalization.