Gadi Eisenkot Challenges Benjamin Netanyahu in Close 120-Seat Knesset Race

Israeli voters cast ballots on Tuesday in a contest that has shifted from traditional left-right divides to a direct challenge against Benjamin Netanyahu. He has served as prime minister for 19 of the last 30 years, and current polls show the pro-Netanyahu and anti-Netanyahu camps running neck and neck.

The leading opposition candidate, Gadi Eisenkot, campaigned in Modi'in this week. A former chief of staff for the Israel Defense Forces, Eisenkot entered politics only four years ago. His party, Yashar, which means straight or direct, promotes a government style focused on action rather than rhetoric. Eisenkot advocates for US-style term limits for the prime ministerial office, arguing that power corrupts.

Supporters at the rally described his plain style as a key advantage. Noa Sadeh, 56, expressed fatigue with politicians who only know how to speak. She wants a leader who focuses on the doing part. The opposition bloc also includes former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, both of whom are from the nationalist right and previously served with Netanyahu before their alliances fractured.

On the far right, Yishai Fleisher of the Otzma Yehudit party framed the vote as a check on Netanyahu's perceived drift to the left. Speaking in Bet Shemesh, Fleisher argued for more settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, a ministry to encourage voluntary Palestinian departure, and the implementation of the death penalty. He also called for more weapons for Jewish civilians.

Netanyahu shaped the narrative with posters offering a rhyming choice between Yamin and Falastin. He placed opposition leaders alongside heads of parties representing Palestinian citizens, who comprise about one-fifth of the population. The closing weeks focused on whether anti-Netanyahu Jewish parties, which are forecast to outpoll his bloc but lack a majority, would form a coalition with mainly Arab parties.

Pro-Netanyahu media, particularly Channel 14, kept the opposition on the defensive. However, host Yinon Magal called Eisenkot a Moroccan monkey during a broadcast this week. Eisenkot did not repeat the slur at his rally, a move his admirers viewed as restraint while critics saw it as a lack of political instinct. The close polling puzzles observers given the context of the 7 October 2023 attacks, which occurred under Netanyahu's leadership.

The war in Gaza has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians, with Israel stating that a third were Hamas combatants. The conflict did not eradicate Hamas, and Israel's international standing has suffered. Netanyahu also faces fallout from his attempt to curb the supreme court, the Qatargate affair, and an ongoing corruption trial. Oded Levi, who voted for Netanyahu in 2022 but attended the Eisenkot rally, stated that whoever was prime minister then is responsible.

Netanyahu's durability rests on a loyal base that has remained steady despite reports of credible warnings about the 2023 attacks. His allies claim army and intelligence chiefs kept him in the dark, a claim they describe as unfounded. Many expect him to outmaneuver rivals in post-election coalition talks. Opposition hopes rely partly on liberal, secular expatriates flying home to vote, a group pollsters do not capture. A state ceremony marked the 1995 assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on Thursday, and Netanyahu sent a low-ranking minister in his place. Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats, said he is optimistic about a regional strategic process for long-term security. A video shared widely this week showed young Israelis at a Negev music festival singing Shir LaShalom, a song Rabin performed before his assassination 31 years ago.