A Fight for a 'Different Israel': Can a New Leader End Netanyahu's Rule?

Israel is getting ready for a big election on October 27. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has led the country for many years, is facing his toughest political challenge yet. His main rival is Gadi Eisenkot, a former top military general who recently started his own political party. Many people in Israel want a change in leadership, and polls show the race is very close.

Eisenkot's new party is called Yashar, which means 'straight' or 'honest' in Hebrew. He chose that name to show voters he wants to be open and truthful. He says the current government has been dishonest for years. Eisenkot lost his son and nephew in the ongoing war in Gaza, which many Israelis say shows he truly understands the cost of the conflict.

Supporters of Eisenkot say he is very different from Netanyahu. Gideon Rahat, a professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said Eisenkot is 'a regular person' who connects with ordinary Israelis. One of Eisenkot's candidates, Shaul Meridor, said that when Eisenkot makes a promise, he keeps it. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is known as a skilled and experienced politician.

Netanyahu has stayed in power because of a deal between at least five different political parties. His government is considered the most right-wing in Israel's history. Two powerful ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, have faced international sanctions — including from Australia — for their harsh positions toward Palestinians. Critics say these ministers have pushed Israel in a more extreme direction.

Recent polls from Israel's Channel 13 television network show Eisenkot's Yashar party could win 22 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. That would make it the biggest party, just ahead of Netanyahu's Likud party, which could win 21 seats. If Eisenkot joined forces with other opposition groups, both sides might end up tied at 53 seats each. That means neither leader would have a clear majority to govern alone.

Professor Rahat warned that this election will decide what kind of country Israel wants to be. He said Israel could become an 'extreme right, religious Sparta,' or it could remain a 'liberal democracy.' Many voters are angry about high living costs, growing isolation from other countries, and years of conflict. Eisenkot's campaign is counting on that anger to win votes.

Netanyahu and Eisenkot actually have a long history together. In 2015, Netanyahu chose Eisenkot to be the top commander of Israel's military, the IDF. Eisenkot served his full four-year term and then retired after nearly 40 years in the military. He later entered politics and even served on Netanyahu's emergency war cabinet after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

But Eisenkot eventually quit the war cabinet. He accused Netanyahu of dragging out the war to please his right-wing coalition partners, even while Israeli hostages remained in Gaza. Netanyahu and his supporters fired back, saying Eisenkot wanted to give in to Hamas, the group that killed 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages. These attacks have become a central part of the election battle.

Even if Eisenkot wins, some things might not change very much. He has said there will be no Palestinian state while he is prime minister. He also supports a military strategy called the 'Dahiyeh doctrine,' which allows for heavy strikes on areas controlled by enemy groups. Meridor said this approach is necessary because of the way groups like Hezbollah operate.

Two big promises stand out in Eisenkot's campaign. First, he wants to create an independent investigation into how Hamas was able to carry out the October 7 attacks. Second, he wants ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, known as Haredi, to serve in the military like other Israelis. Israel's Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that giving them special exemptions from military service was unlawful, and protests over this issue have spread across the country.