Meet Gadi Eisenkot, Israel’s Rising Political Star

TEL AVIV — As Israel’s election campaigns heat up, detractors of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu increasingly hitch their wagon to a political newbie: Meet the former Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.As yet, attempts by Mr. Eisenkot’s political competitors to disparage the 66-year-old, stocky-built old soldier are failing spectacularly. The Bibi camp’s characterization of him as a political neophyte, charisma-challenged man who lacks basic diplomatic skills, including fluency in English — have backfired. When pollsters ask Israelis who among leading candidates is best-fitted to lead the country next, Mr. Eisenkot ties Mr. Netanyahu, or is slightly ahead of the prime minister. Others who would unseat Mr. Netanyahu — former prime minister Naftali Bennet and his political partner Yair Lapid, secular hawk Avigdor Liberman, left leader Yair Golan — lag far behind. Israeli reports insist that White House officials are frantically seeking to reach out to Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents, and are specifically honing-in on Mr. Eisenkot. Personal tragedy — and the dignity with which Mr. Eisenkot faced it — has intensified public sympathy for the former general. Shortly after the October 7, 2023, massacres, Mr. Eisenkot joined Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet to unite forces in the face of horrors. In December of that year, his son, Gal, was killed while fighting in Gaza. One day later, his nephew, Meor Cohen, was also killed in action. Mr. Eisenkot’s subdued, dignified speech in the funeral was widely admired. Israeli friends often gather in small groups at cafes, in what’s known as “parliaments.” Asked on a recent Friday about Mr. Eisenkot’s lack of charisma, one attendant, Danny Exar, told the Sun, “He oozes silent charisma. He’s authentic. Yair Lapid, for one, seems to act like a leader. Eisenkot is the real thing.” Mr. Eisenkot formed a new party, “Yashar,” last September. The Hebrew word means “straight,” or “straight ahead — and “honest.” The current crop of Israeli politicians are increasingly seen as driven by personal ambition and corruption. Mr. Netanyahu is indicted on charges including bribery. Honesty is at a high premium. “Eisenkot looks like a turtle,” a veteran reporter at Makor Rishon, Pazit Ravina, says. “He’s understated, deliberate, moderate, gentlemanly. A throwback to the past. No shticks. These are all good traits, but I’m not sure how well they’d serve him in politics.”Everything could quickly change in Israeli politics, including Mr. Eisenkot’s meteoric rise in the polls. Security crises might shift public perceptions. So would new bombshell allegations and mud slinging. New parties might arise before the fall election. For now, though, Mr. Eisenkot’s Yashar is rising. Netanyahu’s ‘Mr. America’ Image is Dimming By and large Israelis consider Washington’s growing criticism as unfair, or worse. Once admired, President Trump is increasingly portrayed as fickle. Vice President Vance is seen as a know-nothing villain. Appeasing the Islamic Republic of Iran while tying the IDF’s hands in the war against Hezbollah, a Tehran proxy that seeks the country’s destruction, is shocking to Israelis. Mr. Netanyahu and most of his cabinet ministers, though, refrain from publicly criticizing the president. The new Washington-Jerusalem spat mars Mr. Netanyahu’s image as “Mr. America.” Last week Likud reportedly scrapped an ad campaign highlighting the premier’s long friendship and partnership with Mr. Trump. Large posters of the premier and the president no longer appear on buildings overlooking major city highways. “Where was Netanyahu’s polished English on October 7? Did it help us?” Mr. Eisenkot said in a podcast interview. “I don’t claim my English is perfect, but I know how to read and write, and I get along well” with Americans. “With all due respect to our allies, Israel’s ability to decide our own future, is badly diminished,” Mr. Eisenkot told supporters in a recent rally. Mr. Eisenkot and his spokesman declined a Sun request to outline his plan to repair relations with the White House. The spat over his lack of English fluency, though, is backfiring. Mr. Eisenkot is widely seen speaking perfect Israeli Hebrew. Election FrenzyWhile Israel is in full campaign mode, as of this writing no firm election date has been set. Mr. Netanayahu, whose coalition currently holds a majority of 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, is widely believed to prefer a mid- to late October vote, when the current government term officially ends. Religious coalition parties are pushing to dissolve the Knesset sooner, which might lead to an earlier election date. Polls show that after Messrs. Bennett and Lapid reunited, they gained no new supporters, and even lost some. Mr. Bennett is urging all opposition parties to unite under the “Never Bibi” banner. A clash of egos, though, could hamper that effort, as each of the anti-Netanyahyu party leaders sees himself as a future prime minister. “There is only one difference between Gadi and me,” a former political partner of Mr. Eisenkot, Benny Gantz, says. “He wants to defeat the other side. I want unity.” A former IDF chief of staff, Mr. Gantz currently lags far behind in polls. His call, though, plays well in some quarters: Rather than relying on Arab and Orthodox parties, Mr. Gantz is calling to unite all Zionist politicians, including from Likud, to face the mounting challenges Israel is facing. That would include Mr. Golan’s party, the Democrats. Composed of remnants of Labor and the now-defunct left wing Meretz, the Democrats serve extended stints in the army and are supported by some of the country’s high-tech titans. Post October 7, though, the left is widely shunned by the wider public. Then there is Mr. Liberman, a hawkish former Netanyahu ally turned a harsh critic. If Mr. Eisenkot, a pragmatic centrist, manages to match his current polling, he may well end up agreeing to a rotation agreement with Mr. Liberman: Each of them would serve as prime minister for two years of the next Knesset’s four-year term. How Did Gadi Eisenkot Get Here?Born in Tiberias to emigrants from Morocco, Mr. Eisenkot grew up in the remote southernmost city of Eilat. Rising in the IDF ranks, this son of Israel’s periphery communities served as military adviser to two prime ministers, Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon. More than anything, insiders tell the Sun, those stints gave the then-brigadier general a valuable lesson on the interaction between politicians, policy makers, and the military.In 2011 Mr. Netanyahu recommended General Eisenkot to be the next IDF chief of staff. Mr. Eisenkot, though, insisted that Mr. Gantz had seniority. In December 2014, General Eisenkot, then commander of the northern command, was finally promoted to IDF chief. As a uniformed commander, Lieutenant General Eisenkot often praised Mr. Netanyahu’s leadership. After the army, Mr. Eisenkot joined Mr. Gantz’s party, which in the aftermath of October 7 joined Mr. Netanyahu’s security cabinet. Last June, though, Mr. Eisenkot left politics and resigned his Knesset seat. He cited his inability to influence cabinet decisions and criticized Mr. Netanyahu’s perceived indifference to the fate of hostages in Hamas captivity. Critics say that Mr. Eisenkot was one of the architects of the security “concept” — a reluctance to fully confront Hamas in Gaza. Underestimating the terror group’s threat eventually resulted in the October 7 disaster. Yashar officials, though, insist the buck stops at Mr. Netanyahu’s desk.As chief of staff, Eisenkot “was a creature of the system,” Ms. Ravina says. “As such, it was difficult for him to confront the entire establishment’s belief in ‘the concept.’” Mr. Eisenkot is now strongly promoting a thorough, independent investigation into October 7 failures. Mr. Netanyahu’s opponents believe such a probe would end the tenure of Israel’s longest serving premier.

Meet Gadi Eisenkot, Israel’s Rising Political Star

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