Ex-IDF chief proposes massive alliance to oust Netanyahu

As former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett challenges Netanyahu to a debate, former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot proposes alliance of center and left-of-center parties in bid to defeat the Likud and form alternative government.

By World Israel News Staff

Opposition leaders are mulling a plan proposed by a former chief of the Israeli military to form a massive political alliance spanning the far-left to the center-right, with the goal of ousting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Channel 12 reported Tuesday night.

According to the report, former MK Gadi Eisenkot, who prior to entering politics served as chief of staff of the IDF, has proposed the merger of three opposition factions as part of a larger pre-election alliance.

Eisenkot was elected to the Knesset in 2022 on the center-left National Unity ticket, headed by former Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Last year, after polling showed Gantz’s party falling below the minimum threshold, Eisenkot bolted, resigning from the Knesset and forming the Yashar! party.

Since then, Eisenkot’s new faction has averaged 8-10 seats in the polls, joining an already crowded list of opposition parties spanning the center-left to center-right, including Yesh Atid, National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, and the yet-to-be-named party led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which has led the pack of opposition parties in recent polling.

Most surveys show the Likud leading every rival faction. However, there are major differences among pollsters regarding the strength of the opposition and coalition blocs.

In a bid to galvanize opposition to Netanyahu and the ruling coalition, Eisenkot has reportedly made overtures to Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, himself a former prime minister, and to Bennett, calling for the formation of a joint ticket that he hopes could win as many as 40 seats.

The move is said to be part of a broader plan to form a cohesive bloc opposed to Netanyahu and his allies.

Once formed, the new party would draft a pre-election statement laying out its vision for an alternative government, which would then be given to the center-right Yisrael Beytenu and far-left The Democrats to sign.

The goal would be to ensure unity within the anti-Netanyahu camp, smoothing over differences between centrist and center-right elements on one hand and left-wing figures on the other.

A broad pre-election alliance would also enable opposition leaders to present voters with a viable path to forming a new government without the support of anti-Zionist Arab parties, one of which was enlisted to bring the Bennett-Lapid government to power in 2021.

On Tuesday, Bennett announced plans to hold a pre-election debate with Netanyahu. The former premier called on the prime minister to spar with him “anytime, anywhere.”

“I care about the State of Israel. I’m offering a positive vision. In contrast to the chaos, disorder, and hatred, I’m presenting a future full of hope.”

Israel’s last election between candidates for the premiership was held in 1996, between then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Netanyahu.

2026 Israeli electionBenjamin NetanyahuGadi EisenkotNaftali BennettYair Lapid