Netanyahu has a sword hanging over his head – and Eisenkot can wield it

Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party, is seeking to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party in the upcoming Israeli elections. However, due to the significant influence of Israeli-Arab parties which do not belong to any specific bloc, Eisenkot is not expected to form a government if he wins more votes than the right-wing Netanyahu bloc.

To secure a government or a minority-voting bloc arrangement, Eisenkot is likely to engage in complex negotiations with coalition partners, particularly Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beytenu.

During his campaign, Eisenkot has highlighted the failures of the past Netanyahu government, particularly in preventing the October 7 Hamas invasion. As a former IDF chief, he has visited various locations, including the Gaza Strip corridor, Ashdod, and Herzliya, before reaching his election-night headquarters in Tel Aviv. Eisenkot's wife, Hana, accompanied him to the grave of their son, Gal, who died in Gaza in late 2023.

Eisenkot's support primarily comes from voters disillusioned with Netanyahu over the October 7 attack and the government's failure to integrate the haredi sector into the IDF. When it comes to Iran, both Eisenkot and Netanyahu would oppose a bad deal, but Eisenkot would keep his opposition private to try to improve the deal quietly, while Netanyahu might take more risks in public. Both leaders are willing to attack Iran if necessary, but Netanyahu might be more inclined to take on greater risks.

Regarding Gaza, neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot has a clear plan, as they both aim to eliminate Hamas's control of the Strip within a specific timeframe. However, Eisenkot is willing to support the Trump ceasefire plan without significant resistance, including empowering Palestinian Authority-linked leaders and international peacekeepers in Gaza. He is also open to partial rebuilding for partial Hamas disarmament, albeit to preserve national security and economic stability.

In the West Bank, Eisenkot is more critical of Jewish extremism and settlement expansion than Netanyahu. He would reinstate administrative detention for Jewish extremists, crack down on police officers, and fire the Shin Bet Director to address the issue more aggressively. Eisenkot also plans to clear most or all of the new settlements constructed under Netanyahu's authority, freezing new settlement building or limiting it to natural expansion.

While both leaders are aligned on Lebanon's security zone and oppose a two-state solution in the short and medium term, they differ in their approach to tackling Jewish extremism and settlement expansion. Eisenkot is more likely to take decisive action against Jewish extremism, whereas Netanyahu has been more lenient.