By Ahmed Abdelsalam
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the leading challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country's most consequential election in years, with polls showing his centrist Yashar party edging past Likud as millions voted on October 27, 2026. The 66-year-old general, who lost his son and two nephews in the Gaza war, has transformed personal grief into a political platform demanding accountability for the October 7 attacks and a break from Netanyahu's long dominance.
Personal tragedy shapes political rise
Eisenkot's entry into electoral politics was propelled by the deaths of his 25-year-old son, Master Sergeant Gal Meir Eisenkot, killed in northern Gaza in December 2023, followed by his nephew Sergeant Maor Cohen Eisenkot a day later and a second nephew, Captain Yogev Pazy, a year later. At the time, Eisenkot sat as an observer in Netanyahu's war cabinet. He subsequently accused the prime minister of ignoring pre-attack intelligence warnings and mismanaging the military campaign — charges Netanyahu's office dismissed as falsehoods.
Moroccan roots historic milestone
Born in Tiberias in 1960 to Jewish Moroccan immigrants, Eisenkot grew up in Eilat and later settled in Herzliya. His potential victory would make him Israel's first Mizrahi prime minister, a fact analysts say resonates deeply with working-class voters outside Tel Aviv. Netanyahu's attempts to mock Eisenkot's accented English backfired, while a racial slur by a pro-Netanyahu broadcaster sparked widespread revulsion and galvanized Mizrahi support for the former general.
Military career and break with Netanyahu
Eisenkot served 41 uninterrupted years in the Israeli military, rising from the Golani Brigade to IDF Chief of General Staff (2015-2019) under Netanyahu. He joined the emergency war cabinet after October 7 but resigned after eight months, citing Netanyahu's sabotage of hostage negotiations and absence of a post-war plan for Gaza. In his resignation letter, Eisenkot warned that "foreign and political considerations have infiltrated the discussion rooms." He then founded Yashar — Hebrew for "straight" — adopting a slogan from former hostage Eli Sharabi: "It's not right, it's not left, it's straight."
Policy platform: security, settlements, inquiry
Eisenkot rules out a Palestinian state, pledging to eradicate Hamas in Gaza within 18 months — a goal that could prolong a conflict that local health authorities say has killed nearly 75,000 Palestinians. He advocates the "Dahiya doctrine" of disproportionate force against civilian infrastructure used by armed groups, a strategy linked to war crimes allegations. On settlements, he vows zero tolerance for extremist outposts but supports retaining strategic blocs. His flagship demand is a statutory state commission of inquiry into the failures leading to October 7, with subpoena powers covering politicians and generals. Domestically, he proposes mandatory conscription for 97% of draft-age Haredi men, freezing state funds to non-compliant seminaries, and reversing Netanyahu's judicial overhaul by protecting the attorney general and restoring the Supreme Court's power to strike down "unreasonable" cabinet decisions.
Electoral prospects and coalition challenges
Recent surveys project Yashar winning 20-23 seats in the 120-member Knesset, slightly ahead of Likud. However, forming a government requires a 61-seat majority. Eisenkot must navigate a fractured opposition including former prime minister Naftali Bennett, centrist Yair Lapid, and right-winger Avigdor Lieberman. If neither bloc reaches a majority, Israel faces another hung parliament, leaving Netanyahu as caretaker prime minister for months.
