In a column published Saturday evening, N12 commentator Amit Segal analyzes the emerging electoral race between Prime Minister Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, arguing that the campaign is already underway and that Likud is honing three attack lines against the former chief of staff.
In a detailed column published Saturday evening on his personal channel, N12 political commentator Amit Segal frames the election battle as a direct rivalry between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot — whom Netanyahu identified as a threat as early as Eisenkot's 2019 handover ceremony, according to Segal.
Segal describes the Likud campaign strategy as a three-phase ladder of attack: first, direct mockery and frontal assault against Eisenkot; secondly, the claim that "he has no government without the Arab parties"; and thirdly, an upcoming line that "he is a good person but weak on Iran." The commentator notes that the first phase — ridiculing Eisenkot — angered undecided voters, prompting the tactical shift.
The column also recasts Eisenkot's strategy as a "Tour de France" approach: letting rivals Naftali Bennett absorb all negative fire from Netanyahu early, while Eisenkot waits fresh for the final sprint. Segal argues that Bennett's early sprint exhausted him and that Netanyahu now knows exactly who his main opponent is.
Segal's analysis, while an opinion piece, reflects growing consensus that the opposition has consolidated around Eisenkot as its standard-bearer for the upcoming elections, as previously indicated by polls tracked by The Zioneer.
- StrongN12 poll: Eisenkot extends lead over Bennett to 5 seats, Likud rises to 24
- DevelopingRiklin: Netanyahu's true rival is Eisenkot, who promises calm and is seen as clean
- DevelopingAmit Segal: Netanyahu's push for a broad government aims at fence-sitting voters
- DevelopingBennett-Eisenkot rift called 'destructive' to the Israeli opposition's prospects
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