The Knesset’s election results of 27th October 2026, have weakened the present Israeli Right wing Govt. of Benjamin Netanyahu and opened the door for Gadi Eisenkot’s coalition to turn the tables and form the new Govt. Netanyahu’s ‘Likud’ party emerged as the single largest party by securing 27 seats & his bloc securing 53 seats whereas Eisenkot’s ‘Yashar’ party secured 21 seats & his bloc obtaining 48 seats, with Arab-led parties holding 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset parliament where a majority of 61 is needed. The results are the reflection of public discontent over October 7th security failure, prolonged Gaza war, hostage crisis & Netanyahu’s far-right coalition politics.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot?
The 21st Chief of General Staff, Gadi Eisenkot was born in 1960 in Tiberias, Israel who served as former Military chief & is the leader of the Yashar party. He is famous for his inhumane ‘Dahiya Doctrine’, which advocates for military force & extensive destruction of civilian infrastructure in areas associated with enemy forces. Although he presents himself as an alternative to Netanyahu, but his military background, hawkish security outlook & position on Palestinian issue raises a serious security question. Is he offering Israel a fundamentally different ideology or simply a different face of same security establishment?
Eisenkot’s Ideology
Eisenkot’s ideology differs from those of Netanyahu’s only on the platforms of governance, institutional accountability & coalition politics. But what world watches is, How will he emphasize over the Palestinian issue since the barbaric & inhumane killings of babies, children, innocent men & women and destruction of lives and properties of innocent civilians, in the name of revenge from the last 3 years. But the ideology of Eisenkot is no less than that of Netanyahu. He opposes the creation of a Palestinian state & defies the 2-state theory supported by almost all of the countries, arguing that Israel must retain overriding security responsibility between the Jordan river & the Mediterranean sea & also supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The Dahiya Doctrine
Associated with Gadi Eisenkot, the Dahiya doctrine represents one of the most disturbing aspects of Israel’s military philosophy which advocates the use of unlimited force & disproportionate one against areas from which attacks originate, even when civilian areas & innocent lives come in between. The UN fact-finding mission on the 2008-09 Gaza conflict found military operations consistent with the doctrine’s emphasis on disproportionate destruction.
The Palestinian Question
For Palestinian, this is merely a change in the Prime Minister but it doesn’t necessarily promise a change in the realities of occupation, settlement expansion & restrictions on Palestinian self-determination. Gadi Eisenkot has criticized settler violence & certain settlement expansion plans but still he rejected Palestinian statehood & advocated for Israel’s dominance. For Palestinians, it is beyond the question of who forms the Govt? It is whether a new govt. will address their political rights, territorial aspirations & freedom or simply manage the conflict under a different leadership.
Since October 2023, Israel Netanyahu-led Govt. has barbarically killed more than 74,000 innocent civilians & more than 1.5 lakh injured including thousands of innocent children, babies, infants, women & civilians in Gaza. Eisenkot perhaps differ from Netanyahu in leadership style but his stance on Palestinian statehood & Gaza issue doesn’t alienate him. If a coalition with Arab parties is being formed then the Palestinian issue must be prioritized otherwise it’s only a regime change & not an ideological change.
The author is an independent researcher and columnist who writes on public policy, social change, youth affairs and governance. He can be reached at shahidhakla@shahidhakla.com
