Free Republic

Most Israelis were born and raised in the country, and marriages between Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews have increasingly blurred boundaries inherited from their grandparents’ countries of birth. Yet, ethnic identity remains a potent campaign weapon... Yinon Magal, a host on the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14, called Gadi Eisenkot a “monkey”, portraying the son of Moroccan immigrants as a figurehead controlled by Ashkenazi elites. “They put a monkey; behind him are all the elitist Ashkenazim who manage him,” Magal said... Among traditional Likud voters wary of Israel’s established elites, Eisenkot’s Mizrahi background and working-class roots are important selling points. Magal’s attack sought...

As usual, news of Benjamin Netanyahu's political death has been greatly exaggerated by the Protection Racket Media. The current Israeli prime minister has not yet survived his reelection campaign, but his coalition has won the most seats in the Knesset with more than eighty percent of the ballots now counted. It's still short of a majority, however, and that leaves Netanyahu with some tough choices. And Bibi's not alone in that predicament: With 84.5% of ballot boxes counted as of 12:34 p.m., partial results published by the Central Elections Committee give 54 seats to the bloc led by Prime Minister...

The "Change Bloc" responds to exit poll results: "The public has had its say." According to most exit polls, the "Change Bloc" has secured a majority among the public—and its leaders were quick to respond. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party—the largest in the bloc—stated: "If these are the final results, it is a victory for the mainstream Zionist majority in Israel; I will act immediately to carry out the will of the people." Lapid added: "Don't let anyone confuse you: the Netanyahu bloc has suffered a crushing defeat." Yair Golan wrote on X: "Now it is our turn...

With just nine days left until the election, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party has maintained a consistent lead over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud in four recent election polls, but neither political bloc comes close to securing the 61 seats needed for a Knesset majority, according to surveys published by Maariv, Channel 13, Kan News, and Channel 12. The four surveys paint an almost identical picture: the Zionist opposition averages 51.25 seats, compared with 51 for Netanyahu's bloc, a virtual tie that leaves the Arab parties and smaller factions hovering around the electoral threshold in key positions ahead of election day....

When I first voted in an Israeli election as an 18-year-old student 30 years ago last Friday, I remember experiencing some culture shock. I was raised in America, where there were only two political parties. Here, I could choose among more than 20 parties... That culture shock was even greater since I come from Chicago, where there was actually only one party, the Democratic Party... The novelties of Israeli elections make them hard to explain in the United States, but our democracy is a key selling point that enables Americans to relate to us. Here are 10 possible election scenarios,...

Former IDF chief says ridicule over his English reflects prejudice against Mizrahi Israelis, asking where Netanyahu’s 'excellent English' was on Oct. 7. Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle of racism after a senior Netanyahu adviser shared a post mocking Eisenkot’s English, saying the attack reflected panic among the prime minister’s allies... “It is racist, and I despise them,” the former IDF chief said in an interview with “120 and One,” ynet’s Hebrew-language political podcast... Eisenkot, who is expected to challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming general election, said he had attended dozens of English-language meetings with...

Amid the fast-paced daily changes in the political sphere, one trend has remained consistent: the steady rise in support for Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot across recent polls. This trend of Eisenkot rising in the polls, and now coming close behind Bennett and Lapid, who trail Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud Party, could soon make him the leader of the largest party in the opposition bloc... Leading a centrist party aiming to oust Netanyahu, Eisenkot presents himself as a unique candidate in the first election since the October 7 Hamas attacks. He appears to have a more reserved personality,...

Maj. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, commander of Israel's northern front, has dropped a bombshell by disclosing that the anti-missile systems the defense industry has developed are intended to protect the country's military installations, not its cities and civilian population. "The residents of Israel shouldn't be under the illusion that someone will open an umbrella over the heads" in the event of a massive missile and rocket attack by Israel's enemies, he declared in a speech Sunday at the University of Haifa.