Former Army Chief Gadi Eisenkot Emerges as Netanyahu’s Main Election Challenger
publishers 20articles 24first reported 25 Oct, 10:00 UTCdeveloping since 25 Oct · 8 editions
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot has emerged as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leading challenger in Israel’s 2026 election, heading the Yashar party and positioning himself as a center-right alternative to the longtime premier.
Recent opinion polling cited by Middle East Eye suggested Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies were struggling to reach the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. The outlet reported that Eisenkot led a broad opposition bloc encompassing right-wing, centrist and left-wing Jewish parties as well as Palestinian parties, giving him a potential path to forming a government.
The campaign has unfolded amid continuing political fallout from the Hamas-led attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, Israel’s subsequent military campaigns across the Middle East and a dispute over conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. Those issues have weakened support for Netanyahu’s governing coalition, according to Middle East Eye.
At a final campaign rally, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of being willing to “stop at nothing to stay in power,” Haaretz reported. Fox News, Time and NPR also described the former general as Netanyahu’s foremost electoral threat, while The Jerusalem Post examined Yashar’s platform ahead of the vote.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 6 articles, 1 with the publisher's own text; 6 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 78 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 6, 1 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 6
- This version written
- 78 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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WHAT THE EDITOR DID
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