The anti-Netanyahu: Can Gadi Eisenkot give the world a different Israel?

What the report says

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has asked Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and a former military chief of staff, to try to form a government after elections produced no majority bloc in the Knesset, Al Jazeera reported on November 8, 2026. Eisenkot has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, before the mandate could pass to another contender, most likely Benjamin Netanyahu, or trigger new elections if no coalition is assembled.

Al Jazeera described Eisenkot as an “anti-Netanyahu” figure: less polished, more understated, and seen by some voters as a break from Netanyahu’s style and political network. His task is complicated by the need to win support from several different camps, including ultra-Orthodox parties and possibly Arab lawmakers or parties outside the government. The article said that support from these groups would likely come with demands on military conscription exemptions, crime in Palestinian communities in Israel, and unrest in the occupied West Bank.

The report also placed Eisenkot’s rise in the broader context of Israel’s domestic and international standing after the Gaza war and the US-Israel conflict over Iran. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said he may project normalcy and discipline, but that Israel faces a difficult political environment and strained perceptions in the United States.

At the same time, the article noted that Eisenkot’s record as a senior officer and his role in hardline military doctrines mean many Palestinians are unlikely to see him as a major break from past policy. That tension, Al Jazeera wrote, is central to the question of whether he could lead a different kind of Israeli government.