The plot: The contrast between the two main contenders could hardly be sharper.
Their roots: Eisenkot, the son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, grew up in Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city.
- If he wins, Eisenkot will be the first prime minister of Moroccan origin in Israeli history.
Their military background: Netanyahu served in the Israeli army’s elite special forces unit “Sayeret Matkal” and later entered business and politics.
- Eisenkot joined the IDF’s Golani Infantry Brigade and rose through the ranks as a combat commander until becoming IDF Chief of Staff. He arrived at his rally on Sunday to the sound of the 1974 Golani Brigade song.
Their links with America: Netanyahu is more familiar with American politics – and more fluent in English – than many American politicians.
- Eisenkot is not an “American” politician at all, and even less a professional politician. He speaks English with a strong Israeli accent and doesn’t deliver catchy phrases. He doesn’t like being on television.
- At his final campaign rally Sunday in front of a thousand supporters, Eisenkot was visibly uncomfortable being in the spotlight, even as the crowd cheered him on.
Their reliability: Netanyahu’s credibility with the Israeli public has been damaged by his lengthy corruption trial, his political tactics, his refusal to take responsibility for the failures leading up to October 7, and his accusations of duplicity in his handling of the Iran war.
- Eisenkot is considered a fair shooter, even among many of his opponents.
Zoom: The failure to prevent the October 7 attacks prompted Eisenkot to defy Netanyahu.
- Eisenkot, who joined Netanyahu’s emergency cabinet shortly after the attacks, lost his son in the war. He then lost two of his nephews during the war.
Zoom out: Netanyahu has cultivated a vast network of donors, lobbyists and supporters in the corridors of American power over the past half-century. Bibi is a household name in America – for better and for worse.
- Eisenkot, on the other hand, is almost anonymous in Washington. Very few people know him personally, even within Jewish organizations.
- He spent time in America in the 1990s studying a master’s degree at the US Army War College.
- Eisenkot’s main connection to the United States was through the military, particularly through his relationship with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford.
- After retiring from the IDF in 2019, Eisenkot spent a year as a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The numbers: Eisenkot leads Netanyahu by 8 to 10 points in most pre-election polls.
- Even though Netanyahu is toxic to at least half of voters, polls show Eisenkot enjoys high sympathy across the board.
- Netanyahu’s efforts to publicly defame him have so far failed.
The big picture: Eisenkot ran on a center-right platform. He has made no radical foreign policy statements and has been careful to avoid any public stance that would allow Netanyahu to portray him as weak. Bibi tried to do it anyway.
- Eisenkot expressed his opposition to a Palestinian state under current conditions. He pledged to take strong action to quell Jewish terrorism against Palestinians in the West Bank.
- He also pledged to end Hamas’ control of Gaza within 18 months of taking office, either through diplomacy or military force.
- Eisenkot supported the war against Iran and strikes against its nuclear facilities. But he opposed Netanyahu’s attempt to use military power to force regime change, calling it unrealistic.
- Eisenkot supports continuing economic pressure on Iran and building a regional alliance with the Arab world to curb Iranian influence.
What to watch: Eisenkot assumed that Netanyahu would be supported by President Trump. He tried to use his good relationship with Republican mega-donor Miriam Adelson to pressure Trump to stay away.
- When Trump finally endorsed Netanyahu last week and again on Sunday, Eisenkot did not criticize him, but instead praised the president’s support for Israel.
- “I am confident that President Trump will work in full cooperation with any leader who is elected by the Israeli people,” Eisenkot wrote Monday.
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