Eisenkot will hardly change Israel

The rising figure of the Israeli political scene is former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, although it is still too early to know what the future holds, or if it will be a bluff, as so many Israeli leaders have been. For the moment, it can be said that he is a figure beloved by a segment of the country's population, although he has not clearly demonstrated his charisma.

A few weeks ago, Eisenkot left another party former army chief Benny Gantz, which has precisely demonstrated during the war that its political value is close to zero. For his part, Eisenkot has abandoned this ship to create his own party and prepare for elections whose exact date is unknown. The calendar says they should be in October 2026, but They could be anticipated if it suits Benjamin Netanyahu..

This week, Eisenkot said that Netanyahu "has neither leadership nor responsibility and is leading Israel toward the abyss." He accuses him of not having achieved any of the war objectives he set for himself after almost 700 days of conflict, and denounces that, "while soldiers are dying in the tunnels of Gaza," Netanyahu "prioritizes political and personal considerations over the national interest."

He hasn't said it clearly, but Eisenkot is certainly referring to all the political and legal reforms underway when he talks about the abyss and Netanyahu's personal interests. They are very profound reforms that are creating a very different Israel than the one it has existed until now, and that are adapting the country toward a very authoritarian autocracy, with extremely conservative political and religious values.

Eisenkot may be the last hope of the centrists and former liberal Labor Party, a movement that once held sway in Israel, which for decades marked the dominant political direction, but which is growing weaker every day. In a way, this is what is happening in many Western countries, although Israel seems to be one step ahead.

Eisenkot has lost a son and a nephew in the Gaza war, a circumstance that has increased his popularity, although this is surely not enough to win an election in the current situation. In reality, it may be too late to change direction, given Israel's dynamics in recent years and Netanyahu's considerable influence.

The two-state option

At 65, Eisenkot is in favor of creating a Palestinian state but maintaining the major Jewish colonies in the West Bank. It is a minority opinion in Israel, and could only be implemented with strong pressure from the United States and Europe, something that is not in sight. The constant increase in Jewish settlements has majority support and it does not seem that Eisenkot is really interested in changing that trend. In fact, he cannot change it, although it serves Israel to the extent that it gives an image of pluralism on the international scene that is increasingly residual.

During his military career, he was the person in charge of publicly revealing for the first time the existence of the Dahiya doctrine. According to this doctrine, the Israeli army must cause as much harm as possible among the civilian population as a form of deterrence. This doctrine of disproportionate reprisals against the civilian population, which amounts to war crimes, was applied to the Shia neighborhoods of southern Beirut, from which it took its name, and has been applied often in recent decades. In fact, Israel is now applying it to the Gaza Strip.