Eisenkot, Netanyahu trade barbs day before Israeli election

TEL AVIV—Yashar! Party supporters gathered in a Tel Aviv convention center Sunday night in hopes of ending the administration of the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. Hundreds poured into Hangar 11, a popular event venue in downtown Tel Aviv, to express their support for Yashar! and its leader, Gadi Eisenkot, who is challenging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

What did Eisenkot have to say? At the event, Eisenkot criticized Netanyahu for, in his words, failing to dismantle the terror group Hamas while at the same time dismantling the truth. He accused him of spreading lies, rewriting history, and thwarting the creation of an independent commission to investigate the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. Israeli voters take to the polls on Tuesday. He added that Netanyahu did not have the backing in parliament to form a government, so the most he could hope for was another election.

Supporter Isaac Sabag attended the rally and said he expected to see a surprise turnout for Eisenkot at the polls.

“After 20 years, Bibi has been prime minister,” he said. “It’s enough. It doesn’t matter if it’s right or it’s more left. It’s enough. We need to bring a new leader with a new idea, with all the nations all over the world seeing it and helping us, [to] help us to continue to be normal.”

What about Netanyahu and the Likud Party? Over the weekend, Netanyahu posted an image of a nuclear mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv. Without mentioning Eisenkot by name, Netanyahu cast doubt on his opponent’s ability to deal with the threat posed by Iran. The Prime Minister reposted statements from right-wing political commentator Yuval Blumberg, insisting that Israel could not afford a candidate who was incapable of having a personal, intimate phone conversation with President Trump or of withstanding the pressure of a TV interview.

Eisenkot has been criticized in the past for his lack of English proficiency.

Dig deeper: Read my in-depth report on how Israeli elections work and the political dynamics there.