Aug 23, 2026 · 31 min
Eisenkot tests Netanyahu’s hold on Israeli politics
The Global Story: The challenger to Netanyahu, with New Yorker editor David Remnick
A potential challenger’s record, political platform, and wartime choices could reshape Israel’s leadership debate and its ties to Gaza, religious parties, democratic institutions, and the United States.
- 1Eisenkot’s military career and personal loss have made him a powerful public figure, but not automatically a political alternative to Netanyahu.
- 2His platform emphasizes national service, democratic institutions, judicial reform, and resistance to Netanyahu’s concessions to religious parties.
- 3The discussion finds uncertainty over Eisenkot’s Gaza strategy while highlighting widening political consequences in Israel’s relationship with the United States.
Don't miss
Remnick recounts how Eisenkot’s son’s death in Gaza and the televised funeral transformed the general’s public image.
The brief
David Remnick introduces Gadi Eisenkot as a potential challenger to Benjamin Netanyahu, tracing how military service and personal loss shaped his public image.
Eisenkot’s son was killed while serving as an army medic in Gaza, and the televised funeral became central to how Israelis understood the general’s public character.
After October 7, Eisenkot joined Netanyahu’s war cabinet while pushing to avoid a second front with Hezbollah and prioritize the return of hostages.
His emerging political platform centers on national service, democratic institutions, judicial reform, and opposition to Netanyahu’s concessions to religious parties.
Remnick distinguishes Eisenkot from Netanyahu on character, corruption, settler violence, and democratic norms, while cautioning that military credentials do not guarantee a different war.
The episode closes on the uncertainty surrounding Gaza, Hamas, and Israel’s changing relationship with the United States, especially amid criticism from Democrats and the American left.
Featuring
David Remnick
Gadi Eisenkot
Benjamin Netanyahu
Gaza Strip
The New YorkerListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.