Israel's opposition will not defeat Netanyahu by focusing on October 7 - opinion

An opinion piece argues that Israel's opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, will not defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by focusing on the October 7 failure. The author analyzes three arguments from the opposition's campaign and concludes that corruption is not a decisive issue for voters, urging the opposition to instead persuade the public of a better future beyond Netanyahu's leadership.

In an opinion piece published on October 18, 2026, Ori Wertman argues that Israel's opposition will not defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by focusing on the October 7, 2023, failure. The article analyzes the election campaigns of Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, and Netanyahu ahead of the October 27 election. Wertman examines three arguments: that Netanyahu received warnings of an impending attack only after it began, unlike Golda Meir during the Yom Kippur War; that the alleged attempt to falsify a phone call record may have been intended to show Netanyahu was not asleep, not to suggest a generals' revolt; and that Netanyahu's strained relationship with the security establishment was shaped by his stance on military refusal during the judicial reform debate. The author concludes that corruption has not historically been a decisive issue for Israeli voters, citing examples of Arye Deri and Ariel Sharon, and that the opposition should instead persuade the public that Israel has a better future beyond Netanyahu's leadership.