Elazar Stern Signals Political Future With Gadi Eisenkot, Sidesteps Defense of Yair Lapid

Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern made unusually blunt remarks in a Thursday morning interview on 103FM with Nissim Mishal and Anat Davidov, casting doubt on his political future under Yair Lapid and publicly endorsing a different center-left leader. Asked to explain poor polling that suggests Lapid would be near the electoral threshold without an alliance with Naftali Bennett, Stern refused to defend his party chief and said, “Nissim, move on to the next question.” When pressed again, he replied, “You are the commentators. I do not need to explain it. I cannot explain it, and what I need to do I do inside Yesh Atid and preserve all our dignity.”

Stern then made clear that if he remains in politics, he sees himself alongside former cabinet minister and ex-IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot rather than in his current framework. “If I stay in politics, I will be where Gadi Eisenkot is,” he said. “If there is a merger or if there is not a merger, assuming he wants me.” He said he is not defecting immediately to Eisenkot’s new party, Yashar!, because he currently has “a very important role in the Knesset,” and there may still be an alliance later.

The MK also described a long-running and close relationship with Eisenkot, saying they have been speaking “for months and years.” Stern said that two years ago he already believed “there is no one better than Eisenkot,” adding that the public understands Eisenkot would do what is good for the country. In Stern’s view, “what is good for the country now is first of all to throw out this government of destruction.” He called Eisenkot “the best chief of staff there has been here in recent years” and said there is “no one more suitable” to be prime minister.