Who is Gadi Eisenkot? Ex-army chief emerges as Benjamin Netanyahu's biggest election challenger

Israel’s former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, 66, is positioning himself as a formidable rival to Benjamin Netanyahu as Israelis head toward their next election, due by late October.

According to Reuters, Eisenkot’s new Yashar party is polling in second place behind Netanyahu’s Likud, although neither is close to a majority, keeping coalition-building central to the contest.

No date has been set for the vote. Another former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, is also in the mix.

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Steel, service and a touch of resolve

Eisenkot is presenting himself as a political outsider with deep security credentials, a message that is resonating with voters unsettled by the wars that followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.

He has leaned on a humble background, his family’s sacrifices, and a hard-line record on security, including his association with the so-called “Dahiyeh doctrine” of overwhelming force against militant groups.

At a conference this week Eisenkot said he had implemented that doctrine with “disproportionate strikes” and argued that the army should be free to hit Hezbollah anywhere in Lebanon.

He also called the ceasefire demanded by US President Donald Trump an “insane reality” that tied the hands of Israeli forces.

A hawk with little taste for compromise

Eisenkot’s stance on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran has made him popular among many Israelis even as it draws criticism from Western observers who have taken issue with Netanyahu’s approach.

Eisenkot briefly served in the war cabinet overseeing the Gaza war before quitting after criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership. He has also attacked Netanyahu for yielding too quickly to US pressure over Lebanon and has dismissed calls for a Palestinian state as “irrelevant.”

Character weighs as heavily as command

Eisenkot’s personal story is central to his appeal. A son of Moroccan immigrants, he rose through the Israel Defense Forces to become chief of staff from 2015 to 2019.

His standing among voters was further shaped by the death of his son, Gal Meir, 25, in Gaza in December 2023, and the killing of two nephews in the war. Eitan Shamir, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, told Reuters that Eisenkot comes across as “a genuine person” and someone people can relate to.

But Netanyahu’s camp is questioning whether Eisenkot has the fluent English needed to defend Israel’s ties with Western allies. Political scientist Tamar Hermann believes Netanyahu could still recover, describing him as a political “Houdini” who finds a way out of difficult corners.

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FAQs

Q1: Who is Gadi Eisenkot and why is he challenging Benjamin Netanyahu?

Ans: Gadi Eisenkot is a former Israeli military chief who has entered politics and is emerging as a leading challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's next election.

Q2: Why is Gadi Eisenkot gaining support in Israel?

Ans: Analysts say Eisenkot's military credentials, security-focused stance and outsider image have boosted his popularity among many Israeli voters.