Netanyahu Alleges Election Fraud After Losing Majority
Intra-Party Split Detected
Some center-right figures, including Eisenkot (a former Netanyahu ally and IDF chief), reject Netanyahu's fraud claims and insist the Knesset swearing-in proceed as scheduled, breaking from Likud's push to delegitimize the results and block cooperation with Arab parties.
Left says
- •Netanyahu's claims of a 'stolen election' are based on isolated arrests of a handful of activists for alleged bribery, not evidence of systemic fraud, and Israeli police have found no basis for the broader allegations.
- •The timing and framing of the foreign-interference probe—kept secret from Netanyahu's opponent while briefed to Netanyahu himself—suggests the investigation is being weaponized to cast doubt on an election he lost rather than pursued as a neutral security matter.
- •Singling out Arab-community turnout as inherently suspicious risks delegitimizing the democratic participation of an entire minority population that turned out in record numbers and won a historic number of seats.
- •Delaying certification or swearing-in of the new Knesset would subvert the will of voters who gave the opposition bloc 67 seats, and Eisenkot's camp sees this as an attack on Israeli democracy itself.
Right says
- •Credible intelligence reportedly reviewed by Shin Bet points to foreign funding, allegedly from Qatar, flowing to an Arab party to boost turnout, and such foreign interference in a democratic election deserves serious, swift investigation regardless of political timing.
- •Several of Netanyahu's own advisers have previously been probed over alleged Qatari influence, so concerns about foreign meddling in Israeli politics are not new or uniquely self-serving to this election.
- •Netanyahu and Likud view a potential opposition government reliant on Arab parties as a dangerous shift that could weaken Israel's security posture against Iran and embolden forces hostile to the Jewish state.
- •Raising alarms before all facts are confirmed reflects genuine concern among the right that outside actors may be shaping Israeli democracy, not merely an attempt to cling to power.
Common Take
High Consensus- Netanyahu's coalition lost 11 seats and the opposition bloc won 67 seats to the coalition's 53 in the certified vote count.
- Arab voter turnout reached historic levels, with Arab parties winning a combined 19 seats.
- Shin Bet is investigating suspicions of foreign funding tied to one Arab party's turnout efforts, and both sides agree this specific allegation warrants a thorough, transparent probe.
- Both sides agree the Knesset swearing-in process and government formation are pivotal moments that will shape Israel's response to the unresolved reckoning over the October 7 security failures.
The Arguments
Right argues
Credible intelligence reviewed by Shin Bet reportedly points to foreign funding, possibly from Qatar, flowing to an Arab party to boost turnout, and any suggestion of foreign interference in a democratic election deserves a serious, swift investigation regardless of its political timing.
Left counters
Shin Bet itself stated the investigation is narrowly focused and should not be used to cast suspicion on an entire community, yet Netanyahu and Likud immediately escalated it into a sweeping claim that 'the elections were stolen'—conflating a limited probe with a referendum-overturning scandal.
Left argues
The briefing process itself reveals politicization: Netanyahu was informed of the Shin Bet intelligence well before his opponent Eisenkot, who only learned of it after the letter leaked, suggesting the investigation was being used as a political weapon rather than handled as a neutral security matter.
Right counters
Intelligence briefings naturally go first to the sitting prime minister as part of his official role in national security matters, and the fact that the matter leaked and was then shared with Eisenkot and Lapid shows the system still functioned to inform all relevant parties.
Right argues
Concerns about Qatari influence in Israeli politics are not new or uniquely self-serving to this election, since several of Netanyahu's own advisers have previously been investigated for alleged ties to Qatari money, showing a pattern of foreign meddling that predates this specific political crisis.
Left counters
The fact that Netanyahu's own inner circle has been the subject of prior Qatari-influence investigations undercuts his credibility to now weaponize similar allegations against his opponents, especially when police have found no evidence supporting his 'stolen election' claims.
Left argues
Singling out record Arab-community turnout as inherently suspicious risks delegitimizing the democratic participation of an entire minority population that exercised its legal right to vote and won a historic 19 seats, rather than isolating the specific bribery allegations against a small number of activists.
Right counters
Raising alarms about possible foreign funding directed at a specific party is not the same as delegitimizing an entire community's vote, and distinguishing between legitimate turnout and allegedly illicit foreign financing is precisely what the investigation is meant to sort out.
Left argues
Delaying certification or the swearing-in of the new Knesset would subvert the clear will of voters who gave the opposition bloc 67 seats, turning a legitimate loss of majority into a constitutional crisis manufactured to keep Netanyahu in power.
Right counters
No one has formally called for delaying certification—only for a week-long investigation into foreign interference—and ensuring the integrity of the vote before finalizing results is a reasonable safeguard for democracy, not an attack on it.
Challenge Questions
These questions target genuine internal contradictions — meant to provoke honest reflection.
Right asks Left
“If the Shin Bet investigation into foreign interference is legitimate and ongoing, why should concerns about its findings be dismissed as purely political before the week-long inquiry has even concluded?”
Left asks Right
“If the investigation is genuinely narrow and Shin Bet explicitly warned against casting suspicion on an entire community, why did Netanyahu and Likud immediately escalate it into a public claim that the whole election was 'stolen'?”
Outlier Report
Left Fringe
Progressive commentators and groups like Jewish Voice for Peace or figures such as Peter Beinart who view Netanyahu's entire governing approach as illegitimate and extend this to broader critiques of Israeli democracy itself represent roughly 10-15% of the left, going further than the synopsis's narrower election-fraud framing.
Right Fringe
Figures like Mark Levin or some evangelical pro-Netanyahu commentators who fully embrace the Qatar-funding narrative as proven fact and frame any Arab-party involvement in government as an existential security threat represent perhaps 15-20% of the right, more extreme than the synopsis's calls for measured investigation.
Noise Assessment
High noise ratio: this is a niche foreign-policy story for most Americans, with actual public attention low outside pro-Israel advocacy circles and foreign policy commentators; social media discourse is disproportionately driven by partisan Israel-watchers rather than reflecting broad American sentiment.
Sources (5)
<p>After his far-right coalition lost 11 seats in the election, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to discredit the results by claiming there was mass voting fraud in Arab communities. </p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> Netanyahu appears to be trying to spook the opposition bloc out of cooperating with Arab parties to form a new government.</p><hr /><ul><li>But the opposition is concerned he has an even more ambitious goal: To prevent the results from being certified at all. That would block the swearing in of a new parliament, in which he would lose his majority. </li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> Netanyahu and his Likud party started the campaign to delegitimize the Arab vote days before the elections. </p><ul><li>Half of Netanyahu's social media posts on Election Day cast suspicion on the unprecedented turnout in Arab communities, an apparent attempt to drive his supporters to the polls.</li><li>Arab voters cast ballots in historic numbers, winning 19 seats between their two parties.</li><li>On Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud party issued a statement claiming the "elections were stolen" by the Arab parties through bribes and fraud. </li><li>Its claims were based on the arrest of three activists from the Arab<strong> </strong>Ra'am party who were suspected of paying a small number of voters in one of the Arab cities. </li><li>The Israeli police said there was no evidence to support Likud's claims of a "stolen" election.</li></ul><p><strong>Behind the scenes:</strong> The situation escalated dramatically on Thursday when a letter sent to the director of the Shin Bet domestic security agency was leaked to Israel's Channel 12. It was written by the supreme court judge who heads the Central Elections Committee.</p><ul><li>The judge ordered the Shin Bet director to immediately investigate suspicions of election interference by foreign countries and submit conclusions within a week. </li><li>Shortly after the letter leaked, Israeli media outlets identified Qatar as the country in question. The allegation is that it funneled money to one of the Arab parties to propel turnout in their communities. </li><li>Over the past year, several of Netanyahu's closest advisers have been investigated by Shin Bet for allegedly being paid by Qatar to improve its image among Israelis. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in: </strong>At a press conference on Election Day, the Shin Bet director, who is a far-right Netanyahu political appointee, said the elections were "safe and secure." He did not mention any suspected foreign interference. </p><ul><li>But the next day, the director met the head of the Central Elections Committee and briefed him on intelligence that suggested foreign countries sent money to <strong>one of the </strong>Arab parties to increase turnout. </li><li>Later that day, the Shin Bet director briefed Netanyahu on the intelligence, but not his opponent Gadi Eisenkot. </li><li>Eisenkot was briefed by the Shin Bet only after the letter leaked. Later on Thursday, the director also briefed outgoing opposition leader Yair Lapid. </li><li>Sources with knowledge say the Shin Bet had the intelligence weeks before the elections. In a statement on Thursday, Shin Bet said the head of the Central Elections Committee was the only one outside of the security agency who knew about the investigation ahead of the elections<strong>. </strong></li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Shin Bet said in its statement that the investigation is "focused and narrowly defined" and made clear it doesn't cast doubt on the vote of the Arab minority.</p><ul><li>"The investigation should not be used to cast suspicion on or accuse an entire sector of society that exercised its democratic and legal right to vote. Only those who acted unlawfully will be held accountable," the statement read.</li></ul><p><strong>What they're saying:</strong> But Netanyahu and Likud nevertheless seized on it.</p><ul><li>After the letter leaked on Thursday, they called it "an earthquake" and again claimed without evidence that "the elections were stolen."</li><li>"This is an attack on democracy aimed at enabling a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel, and the overthrow of right-wing rule in order to bring about an Israeli withdrawal and the defeat of the IDF on all fronts — first and foremost in Iran," the Likud said.</li><li>It also said that "no Zionist party should cooperate" with the Arab parties in replacing the Knesset speaker after the new parliament is sworn in or in establishing a new government.</li></ul><p><strong>The other side:</strong> Eisenkot said the suspicions of foreign interference in the elections must be immediately and thoroughly investigated.</p><ul><li>But the swearing-in of the Knesset must proceed as scheduled, he said. </li><li>"Netanyahu is leading an illegitimate influence campaign targeting the Israeli public, aimed at delaying the publication of the election results and manufacturing a false narrative to delegitimize the new Knesset," Eisenkot said.</li></ul><p><strong>What to watch:</strong> The vote count ended on Thursday with the opposition parties winning 67 seats and Netanyahu's coalition winning 53. </p><ul><li>The results are expected to be certified next week, with the Knesset being sworn in several days later. </li><li>The opposition plans to immediately replace the current speaker of the Knesset and start passing laws — first and foremost, establishing a national commission to investigate the security failures that led to the October 7 attacks. Netanyahu has blocked efforts to launch such an inquiry for three years. </li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but:</strong> While the opposition's majority will allow it to take over parliament, it's not clear whether it will be able to assemble a government. </p><ul><li>Doing so would require the support of the Arab parties — and not all opposition parties want to join forces with them. </li></ul>
<p><strong>TEL AVIV, Israel</strong> — More than three-quarters of Israeli voters cast ballots in Tuesday's historic referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu — the highest level since 1999. </p><p><strong>Why it matters:</strong> This looks like bad news for the incumbent prime minister. </p><ul><li>Higher voter turnout will likely push several of the parties in his bloc below the electoral threshold — making it harder for the prime minister to reach a 61-seat majority in parliament. </li></ul><hr /><ul><li>An increase in turnout among Arab minority communities could lead to a record number of seats in parliament for them. </li><li>As in previous elections, Netanyahu has tried to energize his voters by making false claims about "Muslim Brotherhood supporters" of his opponents who are "stealing the elections." </li></ul><p><strong>State of play: </strong>After multiple reports of long lines at many polling stations across the country, the Central Elections Commission issued orders to expedite the voting process and clarified that any voter who arrives at a polling station by 10 pm local time will be allowed to vote.</p><ul><li>Polls close at 10 pm local time (4pm ET) and exit polls will be published simultaneously by Israel's three TV networks. <strong> </strong></li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> This is one of the most consequential <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/26/eisenkot-netanyahu-israel-elections" target="_self">elections</a> in the country's history — with rival camps warning that victory for the other would put Israel's future in jeopardy.</p><ul><li>The elections are a referendum on the path Netanyahu has taken the country down over the past four years.</li><li>It's Israeli voters' first chance to hold Netanyahu accountable for the security failures that led to the Hamas-led October 7 attacks — or to reward him for what he claims were unprecedented military successes in the three years of war since.</li></ul>
<p>A pair of Trump-friendly, right-wing populists took a one-two punch Sunday: <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/26/brazil-election-results-bolsonaro-lula-trump" target="_blank">Brazil</a> rejected a Bolsonaro comeback, and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/serbia-election-2026-student-protests-vucic" target="_blank">Serbia</a> toppled a strongman's ruling party.</p><p><strong>The big picture: </strong>Brazil denied Trump a close ally at the helm of Latin America's largest economy, snapping a streak of seven straight conservative wins in the region. In Europe, Serbia and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/12/hungary-election-orban-loses-trump-vance" target="_blank">Hungary</a> toppled leaders with close Trump ties who had dominated their countries for years. </p><hr /><ul><li>Another massively pivotal election looms Tuesday, when <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/18/trump-endorses-netanyahu-israel-election-iran" target="_blank">Trump ally</a>, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will face a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/netanyahu-oct-7-warning-israel-election-polls" target="_blank">battle for political survival</a>.</li><li>On the eve of the election, Netanyahu <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/netanyahu-touts-trump-endorsement-eve-vote-suggests-they-may-restart-war-iran-2026-10-26/" target="_blank">touted</a> Trump's endorsement and his "friendship" with the American president. But as the global right has made gains, opposition forces proved this weekend that they still have fuel.</li></ul><p><strong>Driving the news: </strong>In Brazil, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/26/brazil-election-results-bolsonaro-lula-trump" target="_blank">staved off a challenge</a> from Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/26/jail-brazil-president-prison-bolsanaro-coup" target="_self">Jair Bolsonaro</a>.</p><ul><li>The younger Bolsonaro, widely seen as the heir to his father's populist movement, refused to concede and called for the results to be annulled, according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/10/25/world/brazil-election?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur" target="_blank">translations</a>.</li><li>The elder Bolsonaro is serving a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/brazil-supreme-court-bolsonaro-coup-guilty" target="_self">27-year sentence</a> after being convicted of plotting a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/02/bolsonaro-trial-alleged-coup-trump" target="_self">coup</a> to overturn <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/11/26/jail-brazil-president-prison-bolsanaro-coup" target="_self">his 2022 loss</a>. Trump has <a href="https://truthsocial.com/%40realDonaldTrump/posts/114812490799920916" target="_blank">called</a> the prosecution a "WITCH HUNT."</li><li>The White House pointed Axios to Trump's Monday <a href="https://x.com/RealAmVoice/status/2114803710392221964?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank">comments</a>, in which he said the election "looked like another rigged election," without providing evidence.</li></ul><p><strong>Between the lines: </strong>Brazil's election emerged as a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/02/brazil-election-lula-flavio-bolsonaro-trump-amazon" target="_blank">test of Trump's political influence</a> in Latin America, where right-wing and Trump-backed candidates have celebrated an uninterrupted series of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/world/americas/brazil-election-bolsonaro-president-trump.html" target="_blank">wins</a>.</p><ul><li>Those victories include Trump-endorsed Abelardo de la Espriella in <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/26/republicans-voter-id-colombia-california" target="_blank">Colombia</a>, Nasry "Tito" Asfura in <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/24/trump-honduras-presidential-candidate-nasry-asfura-wins" target="_blank">Honduras</a> and José Antonio Kast in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/world/americas/chile-kast-conservatism-trump.html" target="_blank">Chile</a>.</li><li>Trump did not formally endorse Flávio Bolsonaro, but he <a href="https://x.com/FlavioBolsonaro/status/2059379948888998044?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2059379948888998044%7Ctwgr%5E208b13366b9b044d1bbb56f138f77d635486c058%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aljazeera.com%2Fnews%2F2026%2F5%2F27%2Fbrazils-flavio-bolsonaro-meets-with-trump-amid-troubled-presidential-bid" target="_blank">met</a> with him earlier this year and <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/07/09/trump-tariffs-brazil" target="_blank">imposed significant tariffs</a> on Brazil as he protested the charges against Bolsonaro's father. Lula is a vocal Trump critic.</li><li>In March, Flávio Bolsonaro told an audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference that America faced a "fork in the road" in the election: "Either you have the most powerful ally in the hemisphere or an antagonist."</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out: </strong>Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/serbia-election-2026-student-protests-vucic" target="_blank">student-led opposition</a> movement in Serbia toppled the right-wing party of long-serving strongman Aleksandar Vučić, who was seeking to become prime minister.</p><ul><li>Unlike the Bolsonaros, Vučić conceded defeat Sunday.</li><li>The Balkan leader had courted Trump's inner circle, including <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/donald-trump-jr-visits-serbia-meets-president-aleksandar-vucic-2025-03-11/" target="_blank">Donald Trump Jr.</a>, and he <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/president-aleksandar-vui-europe-vilifies-trump-serbia-see-friend" target="_blank">described</a> the president as a "kindred spirit."</li><li>It reflects the shifting tides that also allowed next-door Hungary to oust <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/09/trump-europe-decaying-orban-erdogan-interview" target="_blank">Trump-allied Viktor Orbán</a>, once one of the Western world's most entrenched populist leaders, in April after 16 years in power. </li></ul><p><strong>Yes, but:</strong> Europe's political upheaval is cutting both ways: While the populist right has fallen in Serbia and Hungary, it's gaining ground in two of the continent's largest economies.</p><ul><li>In France, far-right presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/frances-le-pen-launches-presidential-bid-protests-rattle-nation-2026-10-25/" target="_blank">launched</a> her 2027 campaign this weekend, seizing on nationwide unrest to pitch her tough-on-crime, anti-migrant agenda. </li><li>In Germany, the far-right Alternative for Germany won a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/09/06/afd-saxony-anhalt-germany-far-right-firewall" target="_blank">record</a> 44% in a state election last month and continues to lead in national polls.</li></ul><p><strong>What we're watching: </strong>Trump's historic move of endorsing Netanyahu in Tuesday's Israeli elections will once again test his influence abroad.</p><ul><li>Tuesday's election in Israel is set to be tight for Netanyahu, who has sought to <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/netanyahu-trump-israeli-elections" target="_blank">elevate Trump's endorsement</a> as he jockeys with former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/24/israel-election-trump-netanyahu-advisers" target="_blank">Gadi Eisenkot</a>.</li><li>The 77-year-old Netanyahu has been prime minister for some 19 years in nonconsecutive terms. Analysts see the election as a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/07/netanyahu-oct-7-warning-israel-election-polls" target="_blank">referendum</a> on the security failure of Oct. 7, 2023, that killed around 1,200 people.</li><li>Whoever governs Israel could shape Trump's next moves in the Middle East — including whether to escalate the war in Iran.</li></ul><p><strong>Go deeper: </strong><a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/02/brazil-election-lula-flavio-bolsonaro-trump-amazon" target="_blank">Lula v. Bolsonaro: Brazil election unfolds in Trump's shadow</a></p><p><em>Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from President Trump.</em></p>
<p>TEL AVIV, Israel — Gadi Eisenkot is as low-key as <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/25/netanyahu-trump-israeli-elections" target="_blank">Benjamin Netanyahu</a> is bombastic. He's a political novice up against the longest-serving, most politically savvy prime minister in <a href="https://www.axios.com/world/israel" target="_blank">Israel's </a>history.</p><ul><li>And yet, on the eve of Tuesday's <a href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/election-results-voting" target="_blank">elections</a>, Eisenkot poses the most serious threat to Netanyahu's hold on power in years.</li></ul><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>A victory by the Yashar party leader would upend Israeli politics and could reset the country's strained relationships abroad.</p><hr /><p><strong>The intrigue:</strong> The contrast between the two top contenders could hardly be sharper.</p><p><strong>Their roots: </strong>Eisenkot, the son of Moroccan Jewish immigrants, grew up in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city.</p><ul><li>If he wins, Eisenkot will be the first prime minister of Moroccan descent in Israel's history.</li></ul><p><strong>Their military backgrounds: </strong>Netanyahu served in the Israel Defense Forces' elite special forces unit "Sayeret Matkal" and later went into business and politics. </p><ul><li>Eisenkot joined the IDF Golani infantry brigade and rose through its ranks as a combat commander until becoming IDF chief of staff. He arrived at his rally on Sunday to the tune of the Golani brigade song from 1974. </li></ul><p><strong>Their ties to America: </strong>Netanyahu is better versed in American politics — and more articulate in English — than many American politicians. </p><ul><li>Eisenkot is not an "American" politician at all, let alone a professional one. He speaks English with a heavy Israeli accent and doesn't deliver catchy soundbites. He does not enjoy being on TV. </li><li>At his final campaign rally Sunday before about 1,000 supporters, Eisenkot was visibly uncomfortable being in the spotlight, even when the crowd cheered him on. </li></ul><p><strong>Their trustworthiness: </strong>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.</p><ul><li>Eisenkot is seen as a straight shooter, even among many of his opponents.</li></ul><p><strong>Zoom in:</strong> The failure to prevent the October 7 attacks spurred Eisenkot to challenge Netanyahu. </p><ul><li>Eisenkot, who joined Nƒetanyahu's emergency cabinet shortly after the attacks, lost his son during the war. He later lost two of his nephews in the war. </li></ul><p><strong>Zoom out:</strong> 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. </p><ul><li>Eisenkot, on the other hand, is almost anonymous in Washington. Very few people know him personally, even within Jewish organizations.</li><li>He did spend time in America in the 1990s studying for a master's degree at the U.S. Army War College. </li><li>Eisenkot's main connection to the U.S. was through the military, particularly his relationship with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford.</li><li>After retiring from the IDF in 2019, Eisenkot spent a year as a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.</li></ul><p><strong>The numbers:</strong> Eisenkot is leading Netanyahu by 8 to 10 points in most pre-election polls. </p><ul><li>While Netanyahu is toxic among at least half of the voters, polls show Eisenkot enjoys high likability across the board.</li><li>Netanyahu's efforts to publicly vilify him have been so far unsuccessful. </li></ul><p><strong>The big picture:</strong> 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. </p><ul><li>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. </li><li>He also pledged to end Hamas' control of Gaza within 18 months of taking office, either through diplomacy or military force.</li><li>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. </li><li>Eisenkot supports continuing economic pressure on Iran and building a regional alliance with the Arab world to curb Iranian influence. </li></ul><p><strong>What to watch:</strong> Eisenkot has operated under the assumption that Netanyahu would be endorsed by President Trump. He tried to use his good relationship with GOP mega-donor Miriam Adelson to lobby Trump to stay on the sidelines. </p><ul><li>When Trump finally endorsed Netanyahu last week and again on Sunday, Eisenkot didn't criticize him, but rather praised the president's support for Israel. </li><li>"I am convinced President Trump will work in full cooperation with any leader that will be elected by the Israeli people," Eisenkot wrote on X Monday. </li></ul>