June 25, 2026, 2:39 p.mJune 25, 2026, 2:39 p.m
Several months before the parliamentary elections in Israel, ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot is emerging as the main rival to incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Eisenkot’s new party Jashar (Hebrew for “straight ahead”), which is located in the political center, is rapidly gaining popularity in opinion polls and is therefore second only to Netanyahu’s right-wing conservative Likud party.
Gadi Eisenkot.Image: www.imago-images.de
A new parliament must be elected by October 27th at the latest; the most likely election date is now October 20th. According to polls, it could be difficult for both Netanyahu’s camp and the opposition to secure a majority.
Eisenkot positions itself as an alternative to Netanyahu
The 66-year-old opposition politician was Israel’s military chief from 2015 to 2019, after which he entered politics. Eisenkot, who studied political science in Haifa, is considered an expert on the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
The father of five was born in Tiberias in northern Israel and grew up in the coastal city of Eilat on the Red Sea. His parents come from Morocco. He is considered to be rather down-to-earth. Netanyahu’s supporters recently made fun of his alleged poor English skills.
Private tragedies arouse sympathy
Eisenkot’s son and two of his nephews were killed in the Gaza war. These family tragedies are also politically relevant in the eyes of many Israelis: They contrast with the criticism of Netanyahu, whose son Jair has lived abroad since the war began in October 2023 and did not serve in a combat unit.
Eisenkot has also been very critical of efforts by Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government to exempt ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service.
Eisenkot is considered politically moderate and personally has integrity. He has spoken out against Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip, but described the idea of a two-state solution as “irrelevant” after October 7.
According to media reports, he has also spoken out in the past against an Israeli military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Such an approach would only be conceivable if Tehran directly threatened Israel’s existence, he said. (hkl/sda/dpa)