Yair Netanyahu Slams Gadi Eisenkot as 'Puppet of Dark Forces'

Yair Netanyahu, the eldest son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has again drawn controversy with a sharp social media post targeting Gadi Eisenkot, the chairman of the "Yashar!" party. Eisenkot recently received the mandate from President Isaac Herzog to form a government. During his statement, Eisenkot emphasized his commitment to preserving Israeli democracy and the separation of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. He briefly stumbled over his words, momentarily forgetting to mention the judicial branch, which amused those present.

Yair Netanyahu seized on this moment, posting a video and criticizing Eisenkot, calling him a "golem" and a "puppet on a string of the strongest and darkest elements in the country and the world." Netanyahu further claimed, "Israel will surely not survive him," adding that "no wonder the Iranians, Palestinians (with and without blue ID cards), and Arab countries are celebrating."

President Herzog had tasked Eisenkot with forming a government following official consultations. This decision came after the President's discussions with political leaders, including Prime Minister Netanyahu and Eisenkot himself. At the end of the consultations, 67 Knesset members recommended Eisenkot for the premiership, while 46 recommended Benjamin Netanyahu, and one faction of seven members made no recommendation.