Eisenkot leads Netanyahu by double digits in polls

Gadi Eisenkot holds an eight to 10 point lead over Benjamin Netanyahu in most pre-election polls on the eve of Tuesday's vote in Israel. The Yashar party leader, a former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, presents the most significant challenge to Netanyahu's authority in years.

Eisenkot's position contrasts sharply with Netanyahu's long tenure as the country's most politically experienced prime minister. Eisenkot, the son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants who grew up in Eilat, would become the first prime minister of Moroccan descent if he wins. His military career began in the Golani infantry brigade, where he served as a combat commander before rising to the top of the IDF. Netanyahu, by comparison, served in the elite Sayeret Matkal special forces unit before entering business and politics.

The failure to prevent the October 7 attacks prompted Eisenkot to enter the race. He joined Netanyahu's emergency cabinet shortly after the attacks but lost his son and two nephews during the subsequent war. This personal loss has shaped his political stance, positioning him as a straight shooter among opponents who view his credibility as intact despite Netanyahu's ongoing corruption trial and accusations of duplicity regarding the Iran war.

Eisenkot ran on a center-right platform, avoiding sweeping foreign policy pronouncements that could be used against him. He has expressed opposition to a Palestinian state under current conditions while committing to crack down on Jewish terrorism in the West Bank. His campaign pledges include ending Hamas control of Gaza within 18 months of taking office, either through diplomacy or military force. On Iran, Eisenkot supported strikes on nuclear facilities but opposed using military power to force regime change, favoring continued economic pressure and a regional alliance with Arab states instead.

The candidate's profile in Washington is distinct from Netanyahu's half-century cultivation of American power corridors. Eisenkot spent time in the United States in the 1990s studying at the U.S. Army War College and built relationships with military figures like Gen. Joseph Dunford. After retiring from the IDF in 2019, he served as a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Unlike Netanyahu, who is a household name in America, Eisenkot remains largely anonymous to many in Washington and Jewish organizations.

Eisenkot had assumed President Donald Trump would remain neutral, using his relationship with GOP donor Miriam Adelson to lobby for that outcome. When Trump endorsed Netanyahu last week and again on Sunday, Eisenkot responded by praising the president's support for Israel. On Monday, Eisenkot wrote on X that he was convinced Trump would cooperate fully with any leader elected by the Israeli people.