Likud MK Amit Halevi slams Eisenkot: He's an Oslo-era Chief of Staff

Likud MK Amit Halevi addressed allegations from the left about potential election fraud, developments in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial, and the upcoming elections during an interview at the Arutz Sheva-Israel National News conference. Asked about claims that Likud might attempt to "steal the election," Halevi responded, "People project their own thoughts onto others." He argued that it is the left and the judicial system that have failed to respect the will of the voters. "For years now, we've been living in a situation where the left disregards the will of the voters," Halevi claimed. Referring to Supreme Court rulings, he added, "For people to accuse us of being capable of stealing the will of the voters shows that they're projecting their own thoughts onto us." Halevi, who serves on the Central Elections Committee, said the allegations only reinforced the need for increased oversight on Election Day. "We need to be extremely vigilant. That's the only conclusion to draw from that statement," he said. "We'll be keeping a close eye on the polling stations and the double envelopes." Halevi also addressed the testimony of former Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial and the allegations raised during the proceedings concerning the conduct of the investigations. "I wasn't surprised by Mandelblit, but I think a much broader segment of the public is now becoming aware of what's been happening in Israel for the past six years," Halevi said. Halevi was also asked about the upcoming elections and the candidacy of Ofer Winter, chairman of the Amcha Yisrael party. Recent polls have presented varying scenarios regarding whether Winter's party will cross the electoral threshold, with its prospects differing from one survey to another. According to Halevi, the primary consideration for the right-wing camp should be the party's potential impact on the overall bloc. "There's one thing that should determine Ofer Winter's decision, and that's whether he is genuinely strengthening the bloc or putting it at risk," Halevi said. "There's an enormous amount at stake. We shouldn't be playing games." Halevi also sharply criticized Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party and former IDF Chief of Staff. Disagreements over national security policy have become a central issue in the election campaign, with Winter and Eisenkot recently exchanging accusations over their respective approaches. "I know him very well from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, because we sat together for two years," Halevi said, arguing that Eisenkot's security doctrine could lead Israel to relinquish achievements made during the war. Halevi went on to compare Eisenkot to the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and criticized his tenure as IDF Chief of Staff. "He's an Oslo-era Chief of Staff," Halevi charged. "He didn't prepare the military for war." "He cannot lead the country in this situation," he added. Halevi concluded by urging the public to vote in the elections, which are expected to take place on October 27, according to the candidate lists submitted to the Central Elections Committee. "Every vote could determine the outcome, for better or worse," Halevi said. "The responsibility is ours. Every citizen must get to the polls, and anyone who knows someone who's undecided should bring them to the polling station and persuade them to vote." Watch the Hebrew video: