Eisenkot Slams Netanyahu's Leadership, Denies Rotation Possibility

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, has ruled out any possibility of a rotation in government leadership with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot also criticized his political partners in the "change bloc," Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, and attacked Ofer Winter, chairman of Am Israel. In an interview with Kan News, Eisenkot addressed Netanyahu's conduct surrounding the October 7th attacks, accusing him of dereliction of duty and lying about receiving intelligence warnings.

Eisenkot described Netanyahu as "gloomy" and "frightened" during cabinet discussions on October 11th, stating that the Prime Minister did not control the proceedings, which were largely dominated by arguments between Eisenkot and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. He asserted that Netanyahu, like other cabinet members on October 7th, is "unfit for leadership." Eisenkot also claimed that intelligence reports from the Shin Bet and Aman, when published, will cause significant shock and further criticism of the political echelon.

Regarding intelligence warnings prior to the Hamas attack, Eisenkot stated that his own inquiries confirmed that a warning was received by the Prime Minister's office, though he was uncertain of its origin from the UAE. He accused Netanyahu of lying about this, claiming the information was received and ignored. Eisenkot also recalled Netanyahu telling him and Benny Gantz, "You saved us yesterday" in the early weeks after the attack, contrasting this with Netanyahu's current statements.

Eisenkot criticized Bennett for his role in the previous "change government," stating that Bennett "gave a hand to manipulation" and that Yair Lapid should have been appointed Prime Minister then. He declared he would not allow a prime minister with only six mandates, calling it undemocratic. He also differentiated himself from other bloc leaders by stating he never met with the Ra'am party.

Furthermore, Eisenkot attacked Ofer Winter, questioning his stance on accountability and military conscription, and alleging that Winter had previously intimidated military commanders by predicting thousands of casualties before a maneuver.