TEL AVIV, Israel " Gadi Eisenkot is as low-key as Benjamin Netanyahu is bombastic. He's a political novice up against the longest-serving, most politically savvy prime minister in Israel's history.
And yet, on the eve of Tuesday's elections, Eisenkot poses the most serious threat to Netanyahu's hold on power in years.
Why it matters: A victory by the Yashar party leader would upend Israeli politics and could reset the country's strained relationships abroad.
The intrigue: The contrast between the two top contenders could hardly be sharper.
TIME article
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Their trustworthiness: Netanyahu's credibility with the Israeli public has been battered by his long-running corruption trial, his political tactics, his refusal to take responsibility for the failures that led to October 7 and accusations of duplicity in his handling of the Iran war.
Eisenkot is seen as a straight shooter, even among many of his opponents.
Zoom in: The failure to prevent the October 7 attacks spurred Eisenkot to challenge Netanyahu.
Eisenkot, who joined N'etanyahu's emergency cabinet shortly after the attacks, lost his son during the war. He later lost two of his nephews in the war.
Zoom out: Netanyahu has cultivated a vast network of donors, lobbyists and supporters in American power corridors for the past half-century. Bibi is a household name in America " for better and worse.
Eisenkot, on the other hand, is almost anonymous in Washington. Very few people know him personally, even within Jewish organizations.
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"The numbers: Eisenkot is leading Netanyahu by 8 to 10 points in most pre-election polls.
While Netanyahu is toxic among at least half of the voters, polls show Eisenkot enjoys high likability across the board.
Netanyahu's efforts to publicly vilify him have been so far unsuccessful.
The big picture:
Eisenkot ran on a center-right platform. He did not make any sweeping foreign policy pronouncements and took pains to steer clear of any public positions that would allow Netanyahu to paint him as weak. Bibi tried to do it, anyway.
Eisenkot has expressed opposition to a Palestinian state under current conditions. He has committed to taking strong steps to crack down on 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 on 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."
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