Eisenkot emerges as hawkish challenger to Netanyahu in Israel vote
What’s new: Opinion polls put Yashar ahead of Likud before the Oct. 27 election, though coalition math could still block either leader.
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has become the main challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election, offering voters a security-focused alternative without a major break on core war policy. Polls show Eisenkot’s Yashar party leading Netanyahu’s Likud, but Israel’s fragmented party system means neither camp is guaranteed to form a government. Eisenkot opposes Palestinian statehood, backs dismantling Hamas’ military wing and says Israel must stop Iran from gaining a military nuclear capability. He has also criticized settler violence and distanced himself from far-right figures Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.