From Peres, through Barak and to Eisenkot: Netanyahu's rivals since 1996

Channel 14 reviews Benjamin Netanyahu's 30-year political career against his rivals: from Peres in 1996, through Barak, Olmert, Livni, Herzog, Gantz, Lapid and Bennett, to Eisenkot in 2026. The article notes that Netanyahu won six election campaigns, lost power in three, and recalls that polls have been wrong in the past compared to actual results.

Thirty years after first running for prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu faces a new rival: Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff heading the "Yashar!" party. A Channel 14 article reviews all the election campaigns Netanyahu has contested since 1996, noting that he won six of them, lost power in three, and twice the country was dragged into another round. The rivals included Shimon Peres (1996), Ehud Barak (1999), Ehud Olmert (2006), Tzipi Livni (2009), Shelly Yachimovich and Yair Lapid (2013), Isaac Herzog and Livni (2015), Benny Gantz (2019–2020), Lapid and Naftali Bennett (2021–2022). The article emphasizes that in 1996 and 2015, polls were wrong compared to actual results, hinting that this time too the ballot box might surprise. In recent polls, Yashar! leads with 22–23 seats against 19–21 for Likud.