Former Israeli PM Olmert backs Eisenkot ahead of elections — Jerusalem Post
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has endorsed Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot ahead of the 2026 elections. In an interview with Al-Arabiya English, he said that incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is, in his view, on the wrong side of history, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Olmert called Eisenkot a more mature and better-prepared politician than other opposition leaders. He also pointed to Eisenkot's popularity and said that the upcoming vote could become one of the most important elections in the modern history of the Jewish people in Israel.
Criticism of Netanyahu
According to Olmert, opposition politicians Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid and Yair Golan, despite their differences, are on the right side of history. The former head of government also predicted, citing polls, that Netanyahu could lose from one-third to 40% of his current political influence.
Olmert criticized a Netanyahu social media post featuring an AI-generated image of a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv. In the post, Netanyahu warned of an existential threat from Iran and linked the country's security to the election results. Olmert called the post a manifestation of desperation and accused the prime minister of creating an atmosphere of panic and fear.
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Iran, Palestine and responsibility for October 7
Olmert also questioned Netanyahu's claims about destroying Iran's nuclear capabilities. He argued that Iran did not have atomic bombs but kept uranium enriched to 60% underground.
At the same time, the former prime minister spoke of Israel's military successes against Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran. Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he called for advancing a two-state solution, calling it the best possible option for Israel.
Olmert also accused Netanyahu of responsibility for the policies that preceded the Hamas-led attack on October 7. In addition, he called on Israel's political and security leadership to respond to violence by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, warning of possible legal liability.
