Israel's Eisenkot mounts quiet challenge to oust Netanyahu

Former Israeli military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as the principal challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in upcoming elections, offering voters a stark contrast to the long-serving leader's polished media persona with his own serious, unassuming style forged in the country's military culture. Eisenkot, who commanded the Israel Defense Forces from 2015 to 2019, has pledged to unite a fractured electorate and repair Israel's strained international image after three years of war in Gaza and violence in the occupied West Bank. The 66-year-old has vowed to crack down on settler attacks against Palestinians, which he has denounced as "Jewish terror" enabled by the current government, while promising to restore judicial independence and the rule of law.

Security credentials and Gaza war stance

Despite his moderate tone, Eisenkot has staked out hardline positions on security that at times exceed Netanyahu's own rhetoric, ruling out any possibility of a Palestinian state and airing archival clips of Netanyahu's past expressions of openness to the idea under American pressure. He has promised to end Hamas rule within 18 months through either the implementation of former US President Donald Trump's ceasefire plan or "creative operations" targeting the movement's military infrastructure. The former general maintains that civilian areas harboring militants remain legitimate targets under the "Dahiya doctrine" he devised during the 2006 war with Hezbollah, though critics have labeled such tactics war crimes.

Eisenkot has garnered significant public sympathy following the combat death of his son Gal and two nephews in Gaza, lending personal weight to his security credentials as he campaigns to end the war within a year and a half.

Sephardic identity and working-class appeal

Eisenkot's working-class, Sephardic background — he is the son of Moroccan Jews who grew up on Israel's geographic periphery — distinguishes him sharply from Netanyahu's elite Ashkenazi pedigree and American academic upbringing. If elected, he would become the first prime minister of Sephardic descent, a milestone that has resonated with voters historically marginalized by European-origin political elites who have traditionally dominated the country's institutions.

The contrast crystallized when a commentator on pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 described Eisenkot as "a monkey" controlled by "Ashkenazi elitists," drawing widespread condemnation despite the term's alternative meaning in Hebrew as "fall guy." Eisenkot's campaign swiftly transformed the episode into political capital, erecting billboards decrying discrimination against Sephardim and accusing Netanyahu of sidelining Sephardic Likud members from media appearances during the current campaign.

Platform for judicial independence and national service

Eisenkot has pursued a carefully calibrated platform designed to attract both centrist liberals and security hawks, promising to "protect judicial independence, the rule of law, minority rights and a free press." He simultaneously affirmed to religious Zionists that "Israeli settlement (of the West Bank) is a value, on condition that it serves the interests of the state of Israel, and it's done according to the law," while appearing to reject unauthorized outposts that have fueled violence against Palestinians.

He has pledged to curb military service exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish students and Arab citizens through a "universal national service law" requiring either military or civil service from all sectors, addressing a longstanding grievance among secular Israelis who have borne the burden of the Gaza war. Tal Elovits, a researcher at the Molad think tank, said Eisenkot's perceived lack of charisma constitutes his core appeal to an exhausted electorate. "There is a large camp in Israel whose main goal in the coming election is just for things to be calmer," said Elovits. "The middle class," he added, "is looking for someone who will look responsible, boring. I think Eisenkot has that appeal."

Recent polling shows Eisenkot running neck and neck with Netanyahu, who has dominated Israeli politics for over a decade and a half through successive elections marked by political paralysis and military escalation. The former general's campaign has sought to capitalize on widespread war fatigue and anger over the handling of the Gaza conflict, positioning him as the candidate capable of ending the war while preventing further national division.