Eisenkot’s military record, his role in Netanyahu’s wartime cabinet and criticism of the government’s handling of the October 7, 2023 attacks are central to his candidacy.
\n\nFormer Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as one of the principal challengers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel’s October 27 general election, offering voters an alternative shaped by decades of military service and growing frustration over the government’s handling of national security.
\n\nEisenkot, 66, leads the centrist Yashar party, which has been polling ahead of Netanyahu’s Likud in several recent surveys. However, the election remains wide open. Israel’s 120-member Knesset requires a majority of at least 61 lawmakers to form a government, and polling suggests neither political camp has a guaranteed route to that threshold.
\n\nThe contest comes at a critical moment for Netanyahu, whose leadership has faced sustained scrutiny over the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack, the subsequent wars and Israel’s international standing.
\n\nThe campaign has intensified following Netanyahu’s warning about the Iranian nuclear threat and his social media post featuring an image of an atomic bomb over Tel Aviv. Yashar chairman Eisenkot lashed out at the prime minister, accusing him of using fear and alarmist messaging…
Original source: https://www.timesnownews.com/world
