Gadi Eisenkot Challenges Netanyahu Ahead of October Election

At a September 7 rally in a hall in Rosh Haayin, former military commander Gadi Eisenkot – the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – accused the premier of prioritising personal political survival over Israel’s security.

South China Morning Post

A poll released by Israel’s public broadcaster Kan on September 6 projects the newly formed Yashar party to win 23 of the 120 Knesset seats, slightly ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud at 20. The anti-Netanyahu bloc is projected at 51 seats, while Likud and its coalition partners total 52, leaving both sides short of the 61-seat majority needed to govern unless they secure support from unaligned parties, including two Arab-majority lists that together hold 13 seats.

The Straits TimesSouth China Morning Post

The election is scheduled for October 27. Yashar’s platform, unveiled at the September rally, emphasizes national unity and a tougher stance on ultra-Orthodox exemptions, positioning Eisenkot as a viable alternative to Netanyahu’s long-standing right-wing leadership.

South China Morning Post

• “In the face of the great rift that opened on Oct 7, and in the face of the immense challenges before the State of Israel, I believe we need a leadership that knows how to rise to the magnitude of the hour, that knows how to unite and bring unity around what we share, and to fundamentally restore the principles of stateliness and Zionism,” — Gadi Eisenkot

The Straits Times

• “In the face of the great rift that opened on October 7, and in the face of the immense challenges before the State of Israel, I believe we need a leadership that knows how to rise to the magnitude of the hour, that knows how to unite and bring unity around what we share, and to fundamentally restore the principles of stateliness and Zionism,” — Gadi Eisenkot

South China Morning Post