Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is pitching hard-line positions on Iran and Hamas before Israel’s Oct. 27 election, seeking to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In an Oct. 11 interview with Channel 7, Eisenkot argued that Israel should be prepared to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing a military nuclear capability. He said the information he had at the time did not point to a need for action within the next two weeks.
On Gaza, Eisenkot said dismantling Hamas’ military and governing authority remained an unmet objective. He criticized the phrase “total victory” as a goal that had not been achieved.
In an Aug. 27 interview with Israel Hayom, Eisenkot called a two-state solution after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack a mistake. He voiced support for settlements in locations he said served Israeli interests, while arguing that the international cost made the timing wrong for construction in E1.
Eisenkot founded Yashar! in 2025. The party’s platform calls for a state commission to examine the Oct. 7, 2023, attack and a national-service law covering ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities, with the military as the initial service framework.
Eisenkot told Channel 7 that no Arab party met his four requirements for joining a government, including acceptance of universal service and the dismantling of Hamas’ military and governing power. He said he wanted a government based on Zionist parties, a stance that could narrow coalition options. He has also pledged to leave a Netanyahu-led government under a rotation arrangement, as EconoTimes reported earlier.
Eisenkot said in a 2008 Yedioth Ahronoth interview that Israel would respond with disproportionate force in Lebanese villages used to launch Hezbollah rockets.
Recent poll reports gave competing pictures of party support. Israel Hayom reported that its Kantar survey of 1,110 adults, conducted Oct. 21–22, projected 23 seats for Yashar! and 21 for Likud, with a maximum sampling error of 3%. Channel 14 reported that its NEXT DATA poll of 7,937 adults on Oct. 22 projected 30 seats for Likud and 20 for Yashar!; the report did not state a margin of error.
Israelis vote for party lists, and negotiations among parties after the election shape the government; voters do not directly elect the prime minister. The vote for the 26th Knesset is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27.
