Ex-IDF Chief Eisenkot Unveils 'Honor List' for Yachad Party Knesset Slate
The Yachad party, led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, revealed on Monday the ten individuals who will occupy the final positions on its Knesset (parliament) list, dubbed an "honor list." The slate features figures from military, academic, and social backgrounds, including relatives of hostages taken on October 7th. The party stated these individuals embody values of service, responsibility, national commitment, social solidarity, and diversity within Israeli society.
Ohad Ben Ami, who was held captive by Hamas for 491 days after being abducted from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7th, is placed at the final position, number 120. He has been active in advocating for the release of hostages. Reserve Major General Gideon Sheffer, a former fighter pilot and squadron commander, who held numerous leadership roles including head of Hatzor Airbase and acting National Security Advisor, is at position 119.
The list also includes Shira and Eli Albag, parents of released hostage Liri Albag, and Yoni Levi, father of released hostage Noma Levi. Both families were prominent in the campaign for hostage repatriation. Sapir Zohar Hamami, widow of Colonel Assaf Hamami who was killed on October 7th and whose body was taken to Gaza, and Hertzel Gershtein, widow of Brigadier General Erez Gershtein, a former Golani Brigade commander, are also included.
Other notable figures are Adina Bar-Shalom, daughter of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, an Israel Prize laureate who founded the Haredi College in Jerusalem and works to integrate the Haredi community into higher education and the workforce. Reserve Colonel Gideon Abbas, one of the first senior Druze officers in the IDF, and Professor Manuel Trajtenberg, a prominent economist and former head of the National Economic Council and the Planning and Budgeting Committee, are also on the list.
Former minister Dan Meridor, a significant figure in the national-liberal and statist camp, occupies one of the final spots. Eisenkot explained that the selection of these individuals aims to present an "honor list" reflecting the Israeli society's narrative and the need for national unity, emphasizing service, responsibility, and love of country.
