Three months separate Israel from decisive legislative elections, during which former Israeli Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot appears to be the most serious competitor to the current outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gadi Eisenkot relies a lot on his image as a military leader with integrity and discipline to convince the Israelis that he is able to turn a new page after long years of Netanyahu's rule, which did not meet everyone's consensus.

Published on: 04/08/2026 - 18:27 Last updated: 04/08/2026 - 18:28

About a month ago, Gadi Eisenkot officially launched his electoral campaign to run in the legislative elections in Israel, in a step through which he hopes to end Benjamin Netanyahu's dominance of political life, after the latter spent more than eighteen years in power.

Although this soldier (66 years old) does not have long political experience, he is seen today as among the prime minister's most prominent competitors in the legislative elections that will be held next October 27.

Eisenkot was known for his sharp criticism of the conduct of the war and the policies of the Israeli government. In September 2025, he founded a new party, which he called “Yashar,” meaning integrity in Hebrew, in preparation for this election date.

Opinion polls indicate a great convergence in the results between his party and the Likud Party, which gives him a real chance to become prime minister.

Eisenkot's strength is evident in the popularity he enjoys with a wide segment of Israelis. Many sympathized with him after his son was killed during the battles in Gaza in December 2023, shortly after the attacks of October 7, 2023, and he also lost two of his nephews during this war against Hamas.

Eisenkot differs from Netanyahu in his treatment, style, and even personality. A New Yorker magazine journalist, who conducted extensive interviews with him, described him as “the complete opposite of Bibi,” which is the nickname by which Netanyahu is known in Israel.

His supporters say he has a "calm and reassuring personality", with his simple manner and calm way of speaking. These are characteristics that distinguish him from most Israeli political figures, most notably Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tal Elovitz, a researcher at the Israeli "Mulad" Center, believes that the Israelis today are looking for "a government that works quietly and accomplishes its tasks."

He adds that Eisenkot's lack of political experience may be to his advantage in the end, because it means that he does not carry a heavy legacy of unfulfilled promises, in addition to his military background and being the father of a soldier who was killed in the war...all of these elements give him great credibility in public opinion.

He also differs from Netanyahu in terms of the social group to which he belongs. Eisenkot is a Sephardic. He comes from a humble Moroccan Jewish family. He grew up in the city of Eilat in southern Israel, while Netanyahu's origins are Ashkenazi, and he spent part of his childhood in the United States.

If Eisenkot wins these elections, he will be the first Israeli prime minister from this social category to reach office.

As for his critics, they believe that his political experience is still limited. He served as chief of staff between 2015 and 2019, and was a military advisor to former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon.

After the end of his military career, he entered political life and became a member of the Knesset between 2022 and 2025, alongside Benny Gantz, the former chief of staff.

Then he briefly joined Benjamin Netanyahu's government as a minister without portfolio to participate in the war council, before resigning in June 2024, accusing the government of not having a political vision for the post-war phase in Gaza and of negligence in the hostage issue.

Gadi Eisenkot not only calls for Netanyahu to be defeated electorally, but also for his final withdrawal from political life, considering that this will reduce the severity of the division within Israeli society and improve Israel's image on the international scene.

In an interview with “The New Yorker” magazine, he said: “Israel today has an opportunity to build a true Jewish state,” adding that “the time has come to overcome the divisions that took root during the years of Netanyahu’s rule and return to the principles established by David Ben-Gurion,” the first prime minister of the Hebrew state.

To achieve this goal, Gadi Eisenkot must secure a position in the middle, to convince voters from the right and the left alike.

Like the rest of Netanyahu's opponents, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, opposition leader Yair Lapid, and Yair Golan, Eisenkot pledged that if he came to power, one of the new government's priorities would be to form an independent national investigation committee to look into the failures that preceded the October 7 attacks.

It also calls for the imposition of compulsory military service for all, including Haredi Jews and Israeli Arabs, most of whom currently enjoy exemptions from military service.

This comes in light of increasing criticism within Israel regarding the exemptions granted to the Haredim, while reserve soldiers have been called upon repeatedly since the outbreak of war in 2023.

As for settlement in the occupied West Bank, Gadi Eisenkot maintains the same amount of ambiguity.

Last April, he visited a number of settlements in the northern West Bank, but he avoided declaring clear positions on Israeli settlement policy.

Professor of Political Science at the Open University of Israel, Denny Sharbat, believes that Eisenkot's popularity is due, in large part, to his avoiding making sharp positions that might alienate moderate voters from the right or left, preferring to leave room for ambiguity in his political speech.

The same applies to the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution, as Gadi Eisenkot avoids defending it publicly, without declaring his categorical rejection of it, considering that its implementation in the current circumstances is not realistic.

One of the most prominent theorists of the “suburban doctrine”

Regarding the Gaza Strip, although Eisenkot, a former member of the War Council, criticized the absence of a political vision since the ceasefire was reached in October 2025, he does not oppose the widespread use of military force following the October 7 attacks, but rather supports a strict security policy in dealing with Iran and Lebanon as well.

The name of Gadi Eisenkot, who served in southern Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, was linked to what became known as the “Dahiya Doctrine,” which derived its name from the southern suburb of Beirut, which has a Shiite majority, and is considered one of Hezbollah’s most prominent strongholds.

This doctrine is based on the assumption that Hezbollah deploys its fighters and weapons depots within civilian areas, which, according to this perception, justifies the implementation of large-scale strikes against the areas from which attacks on Israel are launched, even if they include the destruction of entire civilian infrastructure.

This doctrine was also used to describe some of the military operations carried out by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

In another context, Eisenkot described the recent statements of New York Mayor Zahran Mamdani as “explicitly anti-Semitic,” after the latter called for the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu in implementation of a memorandum issued by the International Criminal Court.

Political science professor Dennis Sherbet says that the Israelis still view Eisenkot as a man who deals with violence very firmly, and as a right-wing figure who believes in the importance of discipline and hierarchy within state institutions.

From this standpoint, Sharbit believes that Eisenkot believes that only the state can set the rules and determine how to implement them.

Bet on political alliances

For his part, researcher Tal Elovitz believes that Gadi Eisenkot today appears to be the most likely person to form a government coalition, whatever its composition, especially in light of increasing popular support.

However, although the "Yashar" party is now competing with the Likud Party in opinion polls, the road to prime minister is still bumpy and undecided. The Israeli electoral system relies on proportional representation, which means that winning a large number of seats is not enough alone, but also requires the ability to build a parliamentary coalition that guarantees a majority capable of forming a government.

Text by Bahar Macobi, Arabicized by Imad Bensaïd, adapted

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