Eisenkot Slams Bennett, Lieberman, Netanyahu Over Election Strategy and October 7th Failures

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, launched a sharp attack on his bloc partners, Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, accusing them of harming the bloc's chances of winning the upcoming elections. Eisenkot urged them to "come to their senses," stating that their current approach, which he described as "old politics" focused on post-election deals rather than establishing principles for selecting a prime minister, is detrimental to their electoral prospects. He asserted that the public desires change and that the bloc has been organized more effectively under his leadership than in previous elections.

Eisenkot also addressed the intelligence failures leading up to the October 7th Hamas attack, revealing details from post-massacre cabinet meetings. He claimed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was negligent in his role as commander-in-chief on October 7th and appeared "panicked" and "distraught" in the days following the attack. Eisenkot stated that Netanyahu was largely disengaged from discussions, which were often dominated by arguments between himself and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He further asserted that Netanyahu, along with other cabinet members, is "unfit to lead" and that upcoming intelligence reviews will be shocking.

Regarding a potential future government, Eisenkot ruled out serving under Netanyahu in a rotation agreement, expressing his opposition to the concept of an alternate prime minister. He believes a prime minister should be elected for a full four-year term to implement policies. Eisenkot also recounted Netanyahu's alleged praise for him and Benny Gantz in the initial days of the war, contrasting it with Netanyahu's subsequent claims that Eisenkot opposed the Gaza invasion, which Eisenkot attributed to Likud ministers.

Eisenkot also addressed the claim of a warning call to Netanyahu regarding the October 7th attack, suggesting it came from a senior, reliable source, possibly from the UAE, and was received by the Prime Minister's office without action. He also clarified his role in the appointment of the military secretary to the Prime Minister, stating he offered Netanyahu a choice between two candidates, and that Netanyahu himself delayed the appointment of Ofer Winter, whom Eisenkot considers worthy despite Winter's past rejection of him.