Gadi Eisenkot Challenges Netanyahu in 120-Seat Knesset Vote

More than 70,000 Palestinians have died in the Gaza war that began under Benjamin Netanyahu’s watch, a figure that now anchors the debate in Israel’s Tuesday election. The race is not a traditional left-right contest but a direct referendum on the man who has held the premiership for 19 of the past 30 years.

Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition bid. The former army chief of staff and son of working-class Moroccan Jews entered politics only four years ago. His party, Yashar, pushes for US-style term limits, arguing that power corrupts. At a recent rally in Modi'in, attendees praised his direct style. Noa Sadeh, 56, said she was tired of politicians who only talk and wanted a leader who would do the work.

The opposition bloc includes former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman. Both are nationalist right figures who previously served closely with Netanyahu before breaking away. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party and a former general, expressed optimism about forming a stable government. He hopes to agree on a long-term regional security strategy without using the word peace process.

On the far right, Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party frames the vote as a fight to pull Netanyahu further right. Yishai Fleisher told voters in Bet Shemesh that the prime minister has drifted left. He advocated for more settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, a ministry to encourage voluntary Palestinian departure, the death penalty, and more weapons for Jewish civilians.

Netanyahu’s campaign centers on a binary choice between Yamin, the right, and Falastin, Palestine. His posters place opposition leaders next to the heads of parties representing Palestinian citizens, who make up about a fifth of the population. Pro-Netanyahu media, especially Channel 14, have kept his opponents on the defensive. This week, Channel 14 host Yinon Magal called Eisenkot a Moroccan monkey, a slur Eisenkot’s team noted but did not repeat in rallies.

Netanyahu faces a backdrop of recent history that complicates his narrative. The deadliest attack in the country’s history occurred on October 7, 2023, while he was in office. His war in Gaza did not eliminate Hamas, and Iran’s nuclear threat remains. He also faces a corruption trial and the fallout from his attempt to curb the supreme court. Despite credible warnings of the attack, his allies claim the army and intelligence chiefs kept him in the dark, a claim described as unfounded.

The Knesset has 120 seats, and polls indicate the anti-Netanyahu Jewish parties may outpoll his bloc but fail to reach a majority. This could force reliance on mainly Arab parties, a prospect that has kept the race tight. Many liberal, secular expatriates are flying home to vote, a group pollsters do not capture that could decide the outcome if the margin is thin.

On Thursday, a state ceremony marked the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. Netanyahu sent a low-ranking minister in his place. Meanwhile, a video of young Israelis singing Shir LaShalom at a Negev festival spread widely. For some, the full flights home and the return of that song suggest the current political era is nearing its end.