{
  "id": 14926030,
  "title": "The battle for Israel: As Netanyahu rallies the Right, Eisenkot makes his move for power",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/the-battle-for-israel-as-netanyahu-rallies-the-right-eisenkot-makes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T10:12:54.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-election-2026/article-911882"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the Israeli election approaches, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intensifying his efforts to consolidate the right-wing vote, while Gadi Eisenkot is making moves to expand his own base at the expense of other right-wing parties. The election, just 11 days away, is seen as a decisive moment that could determine whether Israel becomes a Palestinian state.\n\nNetanyahu, who has been largely absent from Israeli media in recent months, has ramped up his campaign appearances on both domestic and international networks. His message has been clear: victory is slipping away for the right-wing and right-wing voters cannot afford to take risks.\n\nOne of Netanyahu's primary targets is Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party, which has the largest room among the anti-Netanyahu camp. Netanyahu has tried to persuade Eisenkot to join the Likud, but to no avail. Instead, Netanyahu is now publicly attacking Eisenkot, suggesting that he is positioning himself as a potential alternative to Netanyahu's Likud party.\n\nOn the other side of the ship, Eisenkot is attempting to expand his already large ballroom by wooing voters away from other right-wing parties. His Yashar party currently holds the majority of the anti-Netanyahu room, with Naftali Bennett's B Yachad party holding a smaller portion. Eisenkot is also eyeing the smaller parties, such as Ofer Winter's People of Israel and Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha's Yisrael Beytenu, hoping to broaden his support base.\n\nNetanyahu's strategy has left room for maneuvering, as Gadi Eisenkot has not yet committed to joining any government. Winter's party, while not expected to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold, could still influence the outcome by potentially forming a coalition with other parties. However, Eisenkot has not ruled out the possibility of joining a government with either Netanyahu or Avigdor Liberman, depending on the terms proposed.",
  "summary": "NATIONAL AFFAIRS: As Israel's election approaches, Netanyahu fights to bring right-wing voters back to Likud, while Eisenkot seeks to strengthen his claim to lead the next government.",
  "key_points": [
    "Netanyahu intensifies campaign to consolidate right-wing vote",
    "Gadi Eisenkot expands base by wooing voters from other right-wing parties",
    "Eisenkot's Yashar party holds majority of anti-Netanyahu room"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Israel’s Arab parties could hold the key to power",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/israels-arab-parties-could-hold-the-key-to-power",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:28:03.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Jerusalem Post",
        "title": "Middle Israel: From Caesar to Netanyahu, Israel prepares to enter a post-charisma era - opinion",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/middle-israel-from-caesar-to-netanyahu-israel-prepares-to-enter-a",
        "published": "2026-10-16T11:28:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}