Ex-Israeli Army Chief Launches Election Campaign to Unseat Netanyahu

Israel's former Army Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has officially launched his electoral campaign on Tuesday, positioning himself as a challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections scheduled for November.

"Israel deserves to open a new chapter. We will write it together," Eisenkot told supporters at his first electoral meeting in the central Israeli town of Neve Yarak, as reported by AFP. "For the future of Israel, we must ensure that next October, the 'October 7' government ends its role in history," he said, referring to the 2023 Hamas attack that occurred under Netanyahu's watch.

A sharp critic of Netanyahu's policies and conduct during the Gaza war, Eisenkot founded his Yashar (Right in Hebrew) party in September 2023. A poll on Israel's Channel 12 this week predicted his party would clinch 22 out of 120 seats, right behind Netanyahu's Likud party which was projected to win 24 seats, the agency reported.

Eisenkot's Profile and Campaign Message

The 66-year-old son of Moroccan Jewish migrants enjoys popular support, especially as his son Gal died in combat in Gaza, as did two of his nephews. Eisenkot made his first foray into politics alongside Benny Gantz, also a former army chief, in 2022.

He has remained tight-lipped on his position regarding the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, having served as a member of Netanyahu's war Cabinet from October 2023 until his resignation in June 2024.

"I believe that Israel needs an honest and dignified Zionist leadership, a political home for citizens who dream of a different Israel and wish to bequeath to their children and grandchildren a strong and secure country," he declared on Tuesday. "We will replace a leadership devoid of vision and strategy, which is leading the country toward a loss of direction."

Netanyahu Visits Lebanon Border

The election campaign launch comes as Netanyahu has sought to project strength on security issues. On Monday, the prime minister visited the security zone in southern Lebanon alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, where he received a briefing on military operations and inspected innovative ammunition and weaponry for tackling the drone threat, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office on X.

In remarks to fighters, Netanyahu said: "I have come here together with the Defence Minister, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Commander of the Northern Command, and your commanders with whom I spoke – the division commander and the brigade commanders – and I salute you. You have done tremendous work here, and essentially, what we have done is take the Iranian axis and start crushing it."

Netanyahu highlighted the military's achievements against Hezbollah, stating that the group once had "150,000 missiles and rockets, the highest density of missiles and rockets on planet Earth. Today, they have about 8% left. It is still significant, but it is no longer what it was." He also said that in operations, Israel had eliminated "9,000 terrorists, hundreds of terrorists in recent weeks."

"We no longer allow an army of terrorists to have a foothold on our border. We push them back – that is what you are doing," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would not leave southern Lebanon "until the threat is eliminated."

The visit came days after the Israeli military destroyed a 200-metre underground tunnel network used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon under Operation Closing Verse. The tunnel, located in the village of Majdal Zoun, was more than 25 metres deep and contained hundreds of weapons and launch silos aimed at Israeli territory, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

The Political Landscape Amidst Geopolitical Turmoil

The election campaign is set against a backdrop of ongoing conflict and political instability. More than one million Lebanese have been driven from their homes by the conflict, which has run in parallel with the wider Iran war, according to an Outlook India report. The US-brokered security framework signed by Lebanese and Israeli envoys on Friday has been rejected by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, who declared it "null and void," while Netanyahu has insisted Israel will remain in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

Eisenkot's campaign will likely focus on what he describes as a "leadership devoid of vision and strategy." As Israel approaches its planned November elections, the contest between Netanyahu and the former military chief is expected to be a defining moment for the country's political future, with the legacy of October 7 and the handling of the Gaza war at its centre.