Knesset Member Slams Former IDF Chief Eisenkot, Questions His Leadership

Knesset Member Tali Gottlieb has sharply criticized Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF Chief of Staff and current leader of the “Yashar” party. Gottlieb, a member of the “Otzma Yehudit” party, expressed her negative impressions of Eisenkot’s military decisions and questioned his leadership capabilities during an interview on Radio Galey Israel. She stated that her experience serving with Eisenkot on the parliamentary committee for foreign affairs and defense for a year and a half left her doubting his qualifications as a former chief of staff. Gottlieb specifically criticized Eisenkot’s past military strategies, including the multi-year “Gideon” plan for a “small and smart army” and his alleged support for allowing Qatari funds into Gaza to support Hamas administration. She claimed to possess documentation to support these assertions. Shifting to the political arena, Gottlieb asserted that Eisenkot could not join a coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She suggested that external forces are influencing Eisenkot’s party, describing him as a "puppet" and calling for an investigation into the funding of his political movement. Gottlieb concluded that the financial backers of Eisenkot’s party, which she likened to "Kaplan Force on steroids," indicate that he will not join Netanyahu’s government.