In a race defined by personality as much as policy, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot is now emerging as Benjamin Netanyahu’s main rival in Tuesday’s election—and his opposite in style, background, and message. Per the New York Times, Eisenkot, 66, campaigns like a commander giving a briefing: flat, direct, and anchored in what he calls responsibility. He accuses Netanyahu of dragging Israel into endless conflicts, eroding democratic norms, and refusing to own the failures that led to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Eisenkot, whose son and two nephews were killed in Gaza, says he’s running to “save Israel” and insists any probe into Oct. 7 must scrutinize his own record, too.
Eisenkot’s pitch: a return to “normalcy” via term limits, drafting from the ultra-Orthodox community, enforcing core education standards, curbing settler violence, and halting West Bank annexation, though without promising a Palestinian state anytime soon. The Times also details his Mizrachi roots (he’d be the first Mizrachi prime minister), his reputation for discipline and straight talk, and the concern that his low-key style lacks Netanyahu’s political ruthlessness.
The Jerusalem Post cites a Maariv poll released on Friday that puts Eisenkot, whom Reuters describes as “hawkish” when it comes to security matters, at 49% to Netanyahu’s 41% in a head-to-head battle. The AP has more on the leaders from other parties who are also in the running, including former prime minister Naftali Bennett. For more on how the Netanyahu-Eisenkot contrast might reshape Israeli politics, more here.