Gadi Eizenkot Leads Yashar! Party in Jerusalem Memorial Events for Shira Banki
On the eve of Tisha B'Av, Gadi Eizenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, along with party members, visited Jerusalem for a series of events focused on remembrance, national reflection, and calls for unity. The first event took place at Zion Square as part of dialogue circles commemorating Shira Banki, who was murdered in a stabbing attack in 2016. The gathering emphasized combating hatred and violence while promoting tolerance, mutual responsibility, and societal unity in Israel.
Following this, the party members participated in the reading of the Book of Lamentations at the Lower Aqueduct Park in Jerusalem, joined by Rabbi Katriel Bernard, head of the Or Torah Stone institutions. The evening concluded with a tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where participants learned about Jerusalem’s history, the Temple period, and the destruction, reflecting on the contemporary significance of Tisha B'Av and the need to preserve national unity and resilience.
Eizenkot shared an emotional message on social media, pledging to respond to division with unity, hatred with love, and lies with truth. He recalled that the Jewish kingdom in the Land of Israel had risen and fallen twice, both times collapsing in its eighth decade, and stressed that the nation cannot afford to repeat these mistakes. He described Tisha B'Av as a time for national introspection and urged Israel to choose a path of strength, unity, and exemplary society ahead of its centennial of independence.
He concluded by affirming that Israel’s security, existence, prosperity, and unity are his lifelong mission, expressing confidence in the nation’s ability to learn from past errors and heal divisions. The events come amid recent polls showing Yashar! tied with Likud at 21 seats each, while Naftali Bennett’s Yachdav party continues to decline. Recently, notable figures such as retired Major General Kamil Abu Roken, former Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, have joined Eizenkot’s party.
