Gadi Eizenkot Reveals Coalition MPs Proposed Alternative Government After October 7 Attack

Gadi Eizenkot, chairman of the Yisra party and former IDF Chief of Staff, disclosed that about a month after the October 7 attacks, coalition members explored forming an alternative government with him as prime minister. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference hosted by the Reichman Institute, Eizenkot said coalition MKs approached him to lead a government through a constructive vote of no confidence against Benjamin Netanyahu's administration. However, this attempt did not succeed.

At the time, Eizenkot was the second-in-command to Benny Gantz within the National Camp, meaning the proposed government would have placed him at the helm, bypassing Gantz. Eizenkot criticized Gantz for considering Netanyahu a political partner, stating, "It is inconceivable that anyone would see him as a partner after the failure of October 7."

Eizenkot also challenged Netanyahu's recent claims on Channel 14 that Iran already possessed nuclear weapons, calling the statements "absurd" and accusing Netanyahu of fabricating threats to alarm the Israeli public.

In the same conference, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett presented a security document he authored in January 2022 outlining a plan to weaken the Iranian regime. Bennett accused Netanyahu of abandoning this strategy, which included establishing numerous overt and covert operational channels, one aimed at maintaining internet connectivity in Iran despite regime attempts to sever it. Bennett argued that the plan would have increased the chances of the regime's collapse.

The revelations highlight internal coalition tensions and differing approaches to national security and leadership following the October 7 attacks, with Eizenkot emphasizing the priority of winning upcoming elections to establish a Zionist and state-oriented government.