Eisenkot Calls for Netanyahu's Political Retirement After Election Results

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yishar party, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retire from political life, stating that preliminary election results indicate his government has lost voter confidence. Eisenkot pledged to work towards forming an alternative government and warned against new elections given the high voter turnout.

Speaking after the initial projections, Eisenkot declared, "We made history. The people of Israel came out to decide in a fateful vote the identity of the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years. The public chose change, and the government of failure (on October 7) has lost the people's trust." He added that the Israeli public voted against Netanyahu continuing as prime minister, asserting that if Netanyahu were a worthy leader, he would have announced his retirement.

While emphasizing the need to await final vote counts, Eisenkot noted that Netanyahu faces a larger Zionist majority than before, and the results offer parties seeking to change the government an opportunity to form an alternative coalition. He cautioned that holding new elections after such high participation would be a mistake, stating his duty is to do everything possible to implement the people's will.

Eisenkot also warned Netanyahu against using security considerations for personal and political gain, expressing support for Israeli security leaders in confronting any politically motivated actions Netanyahu might take under a security pretext. He stressed his intention to form a "Zionist enlistment government" that ends internal divisions and represents all Israelis, hinting at efforts to implement mandatory military service for the Haredi community.

Eisenkot reiterated his campaign conditions for forming the next government: recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, adherence to the Declaration of Independence, a law for universal military service, and dismantling Hamas. These statements follow exit polls showing the Likud party leading in seats but Netanyahu's bloc lacking a parliamentary majority, with the ability of opposing parties to form a coalition dependent on post-count political understandings.

Further indicating uncertainty about the next prime minister, data from the Polymarket platform showed a close race between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, with 44% and 42.7% probabilities respectively, while Naftali Bennett had 6% and Avigdor Lieberman 1.7%. The final voter turnout was 77.7%, an increase of 7.1 percentage points from the 2022 elections, with official vote counting ongoing and expected to bring changes before final seat distribution is clear in the coming days.