Military source disputes Eisenkot: ‘Netanyahu was updated immediately’
Former IDF chief says he could not reach Netanyahu for up to two hours after an Israeli F-16 was downed by Syrian fire; military source with access to records says the prime minister immediately approved the response, while Eisenkot’s party stands by his account
As Israel's parties scramble to finalize their Knesset lists, cracks are emerging in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing bloc. Likud's poll numbers have plummeted from the low 30s to just 21 seats, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot leads most surveys as the largest party. Netanyahu has warned voters against supporting smaller right-wing parties, fearing a fragmented vote could hand the opposition the opportunity to form a government.
This pressure is particularly directed at the bloc's third parties, spearheaded by Ofer Winter's new list, which has gained significant momentum, featuring bereaved families from October 7 and activist Yoseph Haddad as its top contender. Internal tensions persist, as Itamar Ben-Gvir opposes a merger with Bezalel Smotrich. Meanwhile, on the center-left, Eisenkot is in discussions with Benny Gantz.
The most significant development, however, may be the least apparent: Ra'am is running without Mansour Abbas, who is expected to position a Jewish former police chief as its second-in-command, a first for the party, as a potential coalition partner. Additionally, Naftali Bennett has softened his stance on pardoning Netanyahu, conditional on him stepping away from politics, but he rules out serving in a government with him.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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