Retired Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as the leading challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's October 27 election, according to several polls. Eisenkot heads the centrist party Yashar, which currently holds a narrow lead over Netanyahu's Likud party. To form a government, either party must secure a 61-seat majority in the Knesset, a process that often requires days of coalition negotiations after the vote.
Eisenkot, who served as Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2015 to 2019, is new to formal politics but brings a distinguished military record to the race. Born in Tiberias to a Jewish-Moroccan family that later moved to Eilat, he served in the elite Golani Brigade before rising to the top of the IDF. His background means that if he wins, he would become the first Israeli prime minister of Moroccan origin, a first since the state's founding in 1948, when leaders have primarily been of Eastern European Ashkenazi descent.
The general entered politics in 2023 after joining Netanyahu's war cabinet as a minister without portfolio following the Hamas attack on October 7. He resigned after eight months, citing the prime minister's failure to implement a comprehensive strategy. The war took a personal toll on Eisenkot; his son, Master Sergeant Gal Eisenkot, and two nephews were killed by Hamas in December 2023. At the time, Netanyahu and his wife Sara described Eisenkot as a "true hero" and expressed devastation over the loss.
Political analysts offer mixed assessments of Eisenkot's prospects. Nadav Eyal, an analyst for Yedioth Aharonoth, notes that former IDF chiefs are often well-positioned for the premiership due to their experience leading Israel's largest organization. Eyal specifically credits Eisenkot for successful military planning against Hezbollah in Lebanon. However, Danny Orbach, a military historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, argues that Eisenkot bears significant responsibility for the IDF's failures on October 7, including decisions that reduced army size and strategic concepts regarding Hamas. Orbach suggests that much of Eisenkot's support comes from voters seeking a "non-Bibi" candidate rather than from specific policy platforms.
Despite these criticisms, Orbach believes an Eisenkot government could address urgent domestic issues, such as removing National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from power and confronting extremist violence in the West Bank. U.S. General Joseph Dunford previously awarded Eisenkot the Commander of the Legion of Merit for his service and contribution to U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation. With Israel's proportional electoral system, an outright winner may not be determined for several days after the election as coalitions are formed.