Eisenkot's plan to beat Netanyahu: Win Likud voters and sink his smaller allies

Gadi Eisenkot is pursuing an election strategy designed not only to make his Yashar party Israel's largest, but also to weaken Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political bloc by pushing smaller right-wing parties below the electoral threshold, according to people close to the opposition leader. Facing criticism from other opposition leaders, particularly Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman, Eisenkot has defended his campaign to become the country's largest party, arguing that it offers the opposition its best chance of winning the October 27 election and forming a government with broad public and political legitimacy. In private conversations, Eisenkot rejected claims that his strategy was coming at the expense of other parties opposed to Netanyahu. "On the contrary. The campaign to become the largest party doesn't hurt the bloc, it helps the bloc. A large party can move Likud voters," he said. According to Eisenkot, undecided voters and Israelis disillusioned with Netanyahu are more inclined to support Yashar because it is emerging as the largest opposition party and a credible alternative to Likud. Associates of the former IDF chief of staff say the strategy is already proving effective in drawing voters away from Netanyahu's coalition and into the opposition camp. "We are the only party bringing in a substantial number of disillusioned coalition and right-wing voters," an Eisenkot associate said. "He attracts votes from the right, and people who vote for him acknowledge that he can be trusted. He's Mizrahi, he served in the Golani Brigade, and he's popular. There are no negative feelings toward him. The Palestine campaign doesn't work on them." The associate was referring to Eisenkot's appeal among right-wing voters, including his Mizrahi Jewish background and military service in the Golani infantry brigade. "Our findings show that the most popular politician among Netanyahu bloc voters, after Netanyahu himself, is Eisenkot," the associate continued. "They don't hate him. Voters disappointed with Netanyahu see a party larger than Likud and understand that it's a safe place to move to. That definitely affects our bloc." Eisenkot's campaign also believes that a racist remark by Channel 14 commentator Yinon Magal, who described the Yashar leader as "a monkey with elitist Ashkenazi Jews behind him," has damaged Netanyahu's camp. According to Eisenkot aides, some supporters of the prime minister and his coalition regarded the remark as "deranged." The campaign points to Netanyahu's own response as further evidence that its strategy is working. The prime minister has increasingly emphasized the importance of Likud emerging as Israel's largest party, warning that if Eisenkot wins more seats, President Isaac Herzog could choose him to form the next government. "If we are not the largest party in Israel, it would be a major disaster, because the president could task Eisenkot with forming the government," Netanyahu said. Coalition chairman Ofir Katz has made similar remarks. But Eisenkot's strategy has another objective: forcing Netanyahu to compete for votes with smaller parties in his own bloc. By drawing the prime minister into a battle over which party will emerge as the largest, Yashar hopes Likud will attract voters who might otherwise support smaller right-wing factions. That could hurt parties such as Amcha Yisrael, led by former IDF brigadier general Ofer Winter. If such parties fail to cross the electoral threshold, their votes would not translate into Knesset seats, potentially reducing the overall strength of Netanyahu's bloc. Eisenkot's associates insist that the same risk does not apply to the opposition. "The bloc led by Eisenkot is organized, and there is no concern that any of its parties will fall below the electoral threshold," one associate said. The Yashar leader is also signaling to his opposition partners that they have a shared interest in fielding one particularly strong candidate against Netanyahu, rather than several smaller parties competing for leadership. "Being the largest party will give the president the legitimacy to task us with forming a government from a position of strength," a senior Eisenkot campaign official said. "We're not talking about six seats or 12 seats. We're talking about genuinely becoming the largest party." According to the official, the strategy is also supported by opinion polls published by various Israeli television networks, which have consistently shown Eisenkot ahead of Netanyahu in head-to-head surveys asking voters who is better suited to serve as prime minister. For Eisenkot, the calculation is that a dominant Yashar party could achieve two goals at once: draw voters directly from Likud while prompting Netanyahu to consolidate right-wing support at the expense of his smaller allies, potentially leaving the prime minister with fewer seats across his bloc even if Likud itself grows.