As Israel prepares for parliamentary elections on October 27, the newly formed Yashar party has become a leading contender according to recent polls, potentially securing at least 20 out of 120 seats in Knesset. Led by Gadi Eisenkot, a former member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet and a retired IDF chief, Yashar is gaining support among centrist voters concerned with security but wary of Netanyahu's perceived shortcomings such as corruption charges and handling of the recent Hamas attack.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-20,
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Story summary
As Israel prepares for parliamentary elections on October 27, a one-year-old party called Yashar has emerged as a frontrunner. According to opinion polls, Yashar could win at least 20 of 120 seats in the Knesset, with some projections suggesting it might secure up to 25 seats. In contrast, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is expected to trail behind with around 19 to 20 seats, based on recent polls.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former member of Netanyahu’s cabinet and the leader of Yashar, has gained significant popularity by positioning himself as an alternative to Netanyahu. Despite holding his first electoral meeting only less than three months ago on June 30, Eisenkot is now seen as equally popular as the incumbent prime minister. His platform emphasizes strategic rather than endless wars while supporting the two-state solution for Palestine and a firm stance against Iran.
Netanyahu’s appeal has waned amid mounting challenges such as corruption charges, allegations of negligence regarding warnings of Hamas' attack, and declining public ratings. These factors have contributed to Netanyahu's diminishing support in the polls leading up to Israel’s upcoming election.
Written for “Israeli Elections Politics” on 2026-10-04,
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As Israel gears up for its parliamentary elections on October 27, a one-year-old party has emerged as a significant contender.
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party → gear → contender
The Yashar (Hebrew for ‘straight’) party has garnered widespread support as per the opinion polls reported by Israeli media outlets, some of which place the party ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
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some → garner → party
In most projections, Yashar led with at least 20 of 120 seats in Knesset, Israel’s parliament, while Likud trailed behind.
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Likud → lead → Knesset
Channel 12 News and Channel 13 News put Yashar at 23 and 22 seats, while Likud followed with 20 and 19 seats respectively.
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Likud → put → seats
According to the poll published by Maariv, Yashar was projected to win 25 seats while Likud trailed with 19.
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Likud → accord → 19
While the polls did not point to a clear winner, Yashar consistently emerged as a leading party.
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Yashar → point → party
Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the centrist party and is a former member of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cabinet, projects himself as everything that Mr. Netanyahu is not.
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Netanyahu → lead → everything
Mr. Eisenkot, who held his first electoral meeting less than three months ago on June 30, is now as popular as the Prime Minister.
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who → hold → Minister
This growing support for Yashar and its leader is strongly buttressed by the public sentiment following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, which has emerged as one of the central issues for voters.
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which → grow → voters
While Mr. Eisenkot has promised strategic wars rather than endless ones while maintaining Israeli sentiments on Palestine’s two-state solution and Iran, Mr. Netanyahu is losing his appeal amid mounting challenges, including corruption charges, allegations of negligence regarding warnings of the Hamas attack, diplomatic tensions and declining ratings.
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Netanyahu → promise → attack
According to Dahlia Scheindlin, a policy fellow at the Mitvim Institute and a strategy consultant and public opinion expert for political and social campaigns in Israel, “The main aspect driving Yashar is the voters — the same specific constituency that is centrist-leaning right, security-minded, patriotic, but not far-right or extremist in Israeli terms.
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that → accord → terms
They supported Gantz in 2023-24, then they supported Bennett in 2025, then Eisenkot seemed like a credible, fresh politician who could win, so they shifted to him.
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they → support → him
After that, the figure of Eisenkot, a trustworthy former Chief of Staff and a bereaved father (and uncle) who projects something straightforward (as per his party name), by contrast to Netanyahu.
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who → project → Netanyahu
She added that the appeal cannot be attributed to just his promise of an inquiry commission into the events of October 7, 2023, as most parties seem to promise the same.
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parties → add → same
A soldier who lost a son to war
Mr. Eisenkot served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for 41 years.
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Eisenkot → lose → years
The 66-year-old made his debut in politics in 2022 alongside Benny Gantz, another former Army chief.
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old → make → Gantz
Four days after the October 7 Hamas attack, he was invited by Mr. Netanyahu to join his war cabinet, where he served till June 2024.
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he → invite → June
He was and continues to be a strong critic of Mr. Netanyahu’s handling of the Gaza war.
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Besides his political stances, Mr. Eisenkot also has a familiar appeal that Israelis, who have borne the brunt of a prolonged conflict for nearly three years, can sympathise with: one of a soldier who has served his country and has lost a son and two nephews to the war.
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who → have → war
While these factors connect him with the public, he still echoes Mr. Netanyahu when it comes to select foreign policies.
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it → connect → policies
He shares Mr. Netanyahu’s sentiments with respect to matters such as the two-state solution and views on Iran.
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He → share → Iran
That is, irrespective of who comes to power, Gaza and West Bank are bound to see little change.
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Gaza → come → change
His party’s 10-point goals, published on its online platform, carry a focus on both national and domestic issues.
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goals → publish → issues
The mentioned goals include ensuring the existence of the state of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people while preserving its character as a Jewish and democratic state and strengthening Israel’s national security and positioning it as a strong regional power.
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goals → mention → power
Its domestic goals include strengthening the
Obstacles for Eisenkot
The road ahead for the party is not without obstacles.
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“Both coalition math and Eisenkot’s inexperience will be a problem for the coalition-building/bargaining phase, and for keeping such a coalition together,” explained Ms. Scheindlin.
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Scheindlin → keep → coalition
Mr. Eisenkot currently lags in international appeal which Netanyahu commands while dealing with foreign media.
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Netanyahu → lag → media
Regarded as the author of ‘Dahiyeh Doctrine’ — an Israeli military doctrine that calls for the use of disproportionate force and deliberate targeting of civilians and infrastructure — Mr. Eisenkot has previously earned Israel international condemnation.
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Eisenkot → regard → condemnation
Ms. Scheindlin commented, “He can if he chooses to, and there will be a great deal of expectation and anticipation if he replaces Netanyahu.
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he → comment → Netanyahu
But he will also have to take steps regarding the Palestinians that will earn criticism at home, and he will have to learn how to face that without caving in.”
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he → have → that
The Aporia
