Eisenkot Leads Netanyahu Rivals as Israel Weighs Election Outcomes
WHO:
Fox News - Military historian Danny Orbach said Eisenkot was “just as culpable as Netanyahu” for decisions that reduced the army’s size and for the “conceptzia” regarding Hamas.
Fox News - Orbach said an Eisenkot government could remove Itamar Ben-Gvir from power, confront Jewish extremist violence in the West Bank, and begin repairing Israel’s international legitimacy.
Fox News - Eisenkot’s wife, Hannah, comes from an American Jewish family.
Fox News - U.S. General Joseph Dunford awarded Eisenkot the Commander of the Legion of Merit for his service as IDF chief of staff and contribution to U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation.
Fox News - Israeli analyst and journalist Nadav Eyal called Eisenkot one of Israel’s most successful chiefs of staff in the past 30 years.
Ynetnews - Democrats party chairman Yair Golan accused Netanyahu of spreading panic and said, “I ask that he be kept away from social media. The man and those around him have lost it. The pressure is mounting.”
France 24 - The October Council, founded by families of people killed or taken hostage in the October 7 attack, called for accountability and a state commission of inquiry.
Fox News - Gadi Eisenkot, a retired lieutenant general and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff, leads the centrist Yashar party and is described as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foremost challenger.
Fox News - Netanyahu leads Likud, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister; Yashar and Likud are the leading parties in the cited polls.
Al Jazeera - The opposition alliance includes Yashar, the Democrats, Yisrael Beytenu and the Together alliance; Gadi Eisenkot is its most likely prime ministerial candidate, while former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is another possibility.
Al Jazeera - Netanyahu’s traditional coalition partners include Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party, Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, Shas and United Torah Judaism.
Fox News - Journalist Yossi Melman called Eisenkot “100% a soldier” and praised his bravery, humility and honesty. Military historian Danny Orbach said Eisenkot bears responsibility for the IDF’s condition and failures on October 7, 2023.
Al Jazeera - Palestinian-led parties Joint List and Ra’am represent Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 percent of the population. Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas has said he may join an opposition-led coalition.
WHAT:
Fox News - Eisenkot declined an earlier selection for IDF chief of staff, believing then-General Benny Gantz should receive the appointment.
Fox News - Eisenkot would be Israel’s first prime minister of Moroccan origin if elected; prime ministers since Israel’s founding in 1948 have been of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) descent.
Fox News - Eisenkot served in the elite Golani Brigade infantry unit.
Ynetnews - Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting an atomic bomb falling on Tel Aviv and quoted writer Yuval Bloomberg warning that if Iran obtained nuclear weapons, “nothing else will matter anymore.”
France 24 - Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv against Netanyahu, marching from Rabin Square toward Hostages Square and demanding an independent inquiry into the security failures behind the October 7 attack. Netanyahu’s government proposed a commission with half its members appointed by the ruling coalition and half by opposition lawmakers; opposition leaders said they would boycott it.
France 24 - Netanyahu suggested Israel may need an alternate digital economy, while Eisenkot mocked the proposed currency as “bbCoin.” Yair Lapid said Netanyahu’s reelection could bring sanctions, no U.S. security agreement, and economic hardship.
Fox News - Polls cited by Fox show Yashar narrowly leading Likud. Fox says either party needs a 61-seat majority to form a government.
Al Jazeera - Recent polling projects the opposition bloc at 52 seats and Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist alliance at 50; Palestinian-led parties could determine who governs.
Al Jazeera - The election covers all 120 Knesset seats. Possible outcomes include another Netanyahu government, an opposition-led or minority government, a coalition involving Ra’am, a national unity government, a rotating premiership, another prime minister from the same political camp, or another election.
Fox News - Eisenkot served as IDF chief of staff from 2015 to 2019 and joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet as a minister without portfolio after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks. He resigned after eight months, citing the lack of a comprehensive strategy.
Fox News - Hamas killed Eisenkot’s 25-year-old son, Master Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, in December 2023, as well as two of his nephews.
WHERE:
France 24 - The rally took place in Tel Aviv, with marchers heading from Rabin Square toward Hostages Square.
Fox News - Eisenkot was born in Tiberias to a Jewish-Moroccan family that moved to Eilat when he was a toddler.
Al Jazeera - The election is for Israel’s Knesset.
WHEN:
Fox News - The article says the election is set for Oct. 27, 2026.
Al Jazeera - The article gives the election date as October 27.
Al Jazeera - The opposition parties signed a non-aggression pact in late September.
Fox News - Hamas-led attacks occurred on October 7, 2023; Eisenkot’s son was killed in December 2023.
WHY:
Fox News - Military historian Danny Orbach said Eisenkot appeared to have become the default “non-Bibi” candidate, channeling the opposition camp’s hopes and expectations.
Ynetnews - Netanyahu’s post framed Iran’s nuclear ambitions as an existential threat and Israeli political controversies as distractions.
Fox News - Eisenkot resigned from the war cabinet, blaming Netanyahu for failing to implement a comprehensive strategy.
Al Jazeera - The opposition parties said their pact was intended to unseat Netanyahu and to “preserve and strengthen Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.”
Al Jazeera - Abbas has cited fighting violent crime in Palestinian communities and addressing discriminatory government policies, including housing, as priorities.
HOW:
France 24 - A KAN poll reported 52 seats for Eisenkot’s bloc and 50 for Netanyahu’s bloc; the remaining seats were projected to go to non-aligned parties, including Arab parties.
Al Jazeera - Israel’s proportional-representation system requires parties to negotiate alliances for a governing majority; no party has ever won an outright majority of at least 61 seats.
Al Jazeera - A minority government could seek outside support from parties that do not join the government. Joint List has offered a confidence-vote “safety net,” seeking conditions including a path to Palestinian statehood and action against organised crime.
Al Jazeera - Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 amid repeated difficulty forming stable governments. In 2020 Netanyahu and Benny Gantz formed a unity government that collapsed within a year; Bennett and Yair Lapid agreed to a rotating premiership in 2021, and Lapid became caretaker prime minister in July 2022 after Bennett’s coalition lost its majority.
(UPDATED October 25, 2026 19:01 UTC)
Retired general Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as Benjamin Netanyahu’s leading challenger in Israel’s upcoming election, with polls showing the opposition narrowly ahead but short of a governing majority. The vote will decide all 120 Knesset seats, and Israel’s proportional system means parties will have to negotiate coalitions. The opposition alliance includes Eisenkot’s Yashar party and several other groups, while Netanyahu’s traditional partners include religious and nationalist parties. Palestinian-led parties could prove decisive. Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet after the October 7 attack, then resigned, saying there was no comprehensive strategy. His son and two nephews were killed in the conflict. Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv, demanding an independent inquiry into the security failures; opposition leaders reject the government’s proposed commission. Families of victims and hostages also called for accountability.
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(UPDATED October 25, 2026 13:59 UTC)
Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv, demanding an independent inquiry into the security failures behind the October 7 attack. The October Council, representing families of people killed or taken hostage, also called for accountability. Netanyahu’s government proposed a commission split between coalition and opposition appointees, but opposition leaders say they will boycott it. The dispute is unfolding as Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief who leads the centrist Yashar party, challenges Netanyahu ahead of the election. Polls show Eisenkot’s opposition bloc narrowly ahead, but neither side appears close to the 61 seats needed for a majority, and Palestinian-led parties could prove decisive. Netanyahu drew further criticism after sharing an AI-generated image of an atomic bomb falling on Tel Aviv, alongside a warning about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Opposition figure Yair Golan accused him of spreading panic.
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(UPDATED October 25, 2026 13:07 UTC)
Retired general Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main challenger ahead of Israel’s election for all 120 Knesset seats. Polls put Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party slightly ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud, while a broader opposition alliance is projected to win 52 seats, compared with 50 for Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist partners. Neither side is close to the 61 seats needed for a majority. The opposition includes the Democrats, Yisrael Beytenu and the Together alliance; Palestinian-led parties could prove decisive, and Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas says he may join an opposition-led coalition. Israel’s proportional system requires parties to negotiate, leaving outcomes ranging from a minority or unity government to another election. Eisenkot served as military chief and briefly joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet after the Hamas-led attacks, but resigned, saying there was no comprehensive strategy. His son and two nephews were killed in the war.