Gadi Eisenkot
Israel
Yashar
Knesset member
government
Gadi Eisenkot, also spelt Eizenkot, is an Israeli general, politician and leader of the Yashar party. He served from 2015 to 2019 as the 21st chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and from 2023 to 2024 as a minister without portfolio in Israel's unity government. Eisenkot, who grew up in Eilat, pursued maritime studies and later served in the IDF's Golani Brigade. He holds a B.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and a post-graduate degree in political science from Haifa University. Married with five children, he resides in Herzliya. One of his sons, Gal, was killed in action during the Gaza war.
Standing...
Stories...
Aug 30, 2026
Far Right
Eisenkot is mentioned as the potential leader of a left-wing government if right-wing votes are split.
Eisenkot represents the center-left threat; his ascension would undo the policies of the current religious-Zionist coalition, including on security and settlements.
Aug 25, 2026
Center
Eisenkot is building a new party with Stern and Folkman, presenting a 'mamlachti' (statesmanlike) alternative centered on service and responsibility.
For Yesh Atid, Eisenkot is splitting the center and diluting Lapid's electoral prospects, even if his platform resonates with moderate voters.
Aug 23, 2026
Center
Eisenkot's party Yesh Atid leads polls, but Shin Bet refused his security detail despite rising threats, leaving him reliant on private security.
From a Yesh Atid view, this is a scandal: the government is failing to protect a legitimate opposition leader, showing contempt for democratic norms and the safety of political rivals.
Aug 22, 2026
Lean Left
The National Unity MK and former chief of staff has been critical of the government's management of the Gaza conflict and hostage situation, urging pragmatism.
His military credentials give his centrist critique weight, but left voters remain wary of his hawkish stance on Palestinian statehood.
Aug 19, 2026
Lean Left
The former IDF chief of staff is in the news because a new poll suggests his party, Yashar, would win 24 seats, surpassing Netanyahu's Likud.
Moderates see Eisenkot as a more pragmatic and less polarizing alternative to Netanyahu, potentially easing regional tensions.
Aug 19, 2026
Far Right
His Yashar! party leads polls with 24 seats, surpassing Likud.
Seen as a threat to the right-wing bloc, positioning himself as a centrist alternative.
Aug 19, 2026
Center
His security doctrine is under direct attack from Bennett, who claims any 30% exemption leads to a slippery slope.
As a former IDF chief and centrist, he is the key figure in the security debate, and Yesh Atid defends his pragmatic approach against Bennett's more reckless rhetoric.
Aug 15, 2026
Far Right
He is the stated political destination for Elazar Stern, adding weight to merger reports within the center-left.
RZ sees another generals' party as a stale centrist project, not a threat to the Netanyahu coalition's religious-right identity.
Aug 13, 2026
Lean Left
National Unity MK Eisenkot publicly demands a state inquiry and criticizes the cabinet's handling of Syria and Gaza.
The left respects his security credibility and his call to investigate October 7, though his criticisms stay within the security establishment.
Aug 6, 2026
Far Right
The Yashar! party chairman attacked Naftali Bennett's Qatar enemy-state proposal as election slogans that need a professional policy review.
Religious Zionists respect his military record but distrust his centrist caution when it is used to blunt a hard line against Qatar's funding of Hamas.