Gadi Eisenkot Vows Not to Serve Under Benjamin Netanyahu
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot pledged he will not serve in any government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, including under a rotating premiership arrangement.
Former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff and Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot declared on October 21 that he will categorically refuse to serve as a minister in any government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot explicitly rejected a rotating premiership arrangement, pledging to resign within an hour if he were to break this commitment. He further stated that Netanyahu will not be permitted to lead an interim government following the October 27 general elections.
Eisenkot is coordinating with Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to secure a Zionist majority of 61 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. While current polls show Netanyahu's right-wing bloc and the opposition neck and neck with 50 to 52 seats each, Eisenkot has campaigned against Netanyahu's fitness to serve following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. He also emphasized that the Draft Law remains a central election issue and opposed any move toward further elections that would abandon the legislation.
Reactions to Eisenkot's stance vary. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that an Eisenkot-led government would evacuate Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria. Conversely, Yashar candidate Yoram Cohen rejected Netanyahu's claims that an opposition government would establish a Palestinian state, calling such a state a security threat. While Eisenkot remains firm, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett indicated that a government including Netanyahu would not be an issue for him.
