TEL AVIV, June 30 — For communities across Israel and the wider region watching the country’s political landscape, a new name has begun to dominate conversations that once revolved almost entirely around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Nearly three years after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, the deadliest security failure in Israel’s history, the prime minister has faced mounting domestic criticism over the conduct of the war in Gaza.
But now, a retired general with four decades of military experience and a relatively short political career is emerging as one of Netanyahu’s most serious challengers. Former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has steadily moved to the forefront of Israeli politics.
Recent polling shows his newly established Yashar party rapidly gaining support. Separate surveys measuring public preference for the next prime minister indicate that Eisenkot has begun matching, or in some cases overtaking, Netanyahu. For families across the region who follow Israeli politics closely, this shift represents a significant change in the country’s political dynamics ahead of the next parliamentary election, scheduled for late October this year.
What makes Eisenkot’s rise particularly striking is the path he chose. For much of the period after October 7, opposition politics in Israel centered on former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, along with Benny Gantz, the former defence minister and another retired military chief.
Many observers expected that if Netanyahu were eventually defeated, it would be through some form of broad centrist alliance led by those established political figures. Eisenkot chose a different route. After entering politics in 2022 as part of Benny Gantz’s National Unity alliance, he eventually broke away and launched his own political movement.
He named it Yashar, a Hebrew word that translates to “Straight” or “Honest.” The name is intended to project transparency and straightforward leadership rather than ideological positioning. For ordinary people trying to make sense of a fractured political environment, that message appears to be resonating. The timing of Eisenkot’s emergence matters deeply for communities across the region who have watched Israel’s internal debates with a mix of concern and hope.
The war in Gaza, the question of leadership, and the security failures that preceded October 7 have all weighed heavily on Israeli society. Eisenkot’s four decades of military service give him a credibility on security matters that many voters find compelling, especially when contrasted with the criticism Netanyahu has faced over the deadliest security failure in Israel’s history.
Closer to home, for Filipino families and Asian communities who follow Middle Eastern politics because of the thousands of overseas Filipino workers in Israel and the broader region, the rise of a new political figure carries real implications. Leadership changes in Israel can affect labor policies, security arrangements, and diplomatic relationships that touch the lives of ordinary people far beyond Israel’s borders. The next parliamentary election in late October will determine whether Eisenkot’s momentum translates into actual political power.
For now, the former IDF chief has accomplished something that few predicted: he has positioned himself as a serious contender against a prime minister who has dominated Israeli politics for years. Whether Yashar can sustain its rapid growth and whether Eisenkot can convert polling numbers into seats remains to be seen.
But the conversation in Israel has shifted, and a new challenger has stepped forward.
