Israel has a long history of turning IDF chiefs of staff into political stars, from Moshe Dayan, Chaim Bar-Lev, Motta Gur, Ariel Sharon and Rehavam Ze'evi to Avigdor Kahalani, Matan Vilnai, Amram Mitzna, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant and Yair Golan. Of the 23 chiefs of staff who have served so far, 10 later entered politics, and two, Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak, reached the prime minister’s office. But most never made it to the top, which raises a recurring question, why do military leaders who ran Israel’s biggest organization struggle so often in politics?
The article argues that the answer lies in the difference between command and politics. A chief of staff is used to issuing orders and expecting execution, while a prime minister must manage partners, rivals, political operators, party members, pressure groups, journalists, coalition deals and collapsing coalitions. In the army, failure can mean removal. In politics, failure can mean becoming the person who brings you down. That is why many former chiefs looked impressive on television but found the political arena far less forgiving.
Now the spotlight is on Gadi Eisenkot, who recent polls suggest fits the public’s desire for a restrained, state-minded security figure. He is presented as having an impressive security record, a relatively clean image, an understated style and some distance from noisy politics. Avigdor Liberman cooled expectations, saying, “צריך לעשות שני תפקידים משמעותיים לפני שמגיעים ללשכת ראש הממשלה” , meaning that two significant roles are needed before reaching the prime minister’s office.
Eisenkot can argue he is not a complete newcomer. He has already served as an MK on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee as part of Gantz’s party and sat in the cabinet during the war, so he has seen decision-making beyond the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv. Still, he has not yet led a party, fought real political battles or absorbed the wear and tear that comes with politics. The piece ends by saying the question is whether he will be another former chief of staff buoyed by polls, or the first in years to break the pattern.
