Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff, has emerged as the primary challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel's general election held on Tuesday, October 27, 2026. Campaigning on a platform of accountability for the October 7, 2023, attacks, Eisenkot led Netanyahu in polling for the most suitable candidate to lead the country, though neither candidate appears to have a clear path to an outright majority.
The election follows years of political shifts, including Eisenkot's brief tenure in Netanyahu’s emergency war cabinet after the 2023 attacks. Eisenkot resigned from that cabinet in June 2024, citing the infiltration of "outside considerations and politics" and a lack of clear post-war strategy. During his military career, Eisenkot served as chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, overseeing operations such as the "campaign between wars" against Iranian-backed forces.
Eisenkot’s campaign, led by his Yashar party, centers on a pledge to establish a formal state commission of inquiry into the security failures surrounding October 7. He has also advocated for mandatory military conscription for all citizens, a position that contrasts with Netanyahu’s governing coalition which depends on parties seeking continued blanket exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews. While Eisenkot opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and supports military operations in Gaza and Lebanon, he has voiced opposition to the formal annexation of the West Bank, arguing it would threaten Israel’s Jewish demographic majority.
If successful, Eisenkot would become the first Mizrahi—Jewish people of Middle Eastern or North African descent—to serve as Israel's prime minister. This aspect of his candidacy became a focal point after television host Yinon Magal used a disparaging term to describe Eisenkot’s heritage, a remark Netanyahu condemned. Eisenkot’s personal connection to the current conflict has also been noted by voters, as his son and two nephews were killed during combat in Gaza.
The election results will determine the leadership of Israel during an ongoing regional conflict involving Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. The outcome affects Israeli citizens, including minority groups such as the Mizrahi community, who comprise the country's largest Jewish ethnic group but have never seen one of their own hold the premiership. A change in leadership could also alter the domestic legal landscape regarding military conscription, potentially ending exemptions for thousands of ultra-Orthodox students.
For the international community and regional neighbors, a government led by Eisenkot could lead to shifts in diplomatic strategy. While both candidates share hawkish security views, analysts suggest a coalition excluding Netanyahu’s partners, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, might provide more flexibility for regional diplomacy and normalization efforts with Saudi Arabia. However, both leading candidates reject the two-state solution, though Eisenkot has pledged to halt formal annexation plans.
The immediate political future remains uncertain as vote counting continues. Under the Israeli system, the winner must assemble a coalition of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset. Recent polling projected Eisenkot’s Yashar party would secure between 20 and 23 seats, more than Netanyahu’s Likud party. If no candidate can form a coalition within a 28-day mandate granted by President Isaac Herzog, the country may be forced to hold another election, continuing a cycle of political deadlock.