Eisenkot: I will do my utmost to form a Zionist government, with national service for all; Netanyahu should step down

Full text of the speech by Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, pledging to establish the next government after Israel’s October 27 elections.

We have made history.

I stand before you deeply moved. This morning the people of Israel held a referendum on who will lead this country in the years ahead. Tonight we have our answer. The public has chosen change. The coalition of failure has lost the people’s trust. The Israeli public voted against Benjamin Netanyahu continuing as prime minister.

These are still only exit polls, and we must wait for the real results. But this much is already clear: Netanyahu tonight finds himself facing a Zionist, national majority that is larger and stronger than his own. A decisive majority among the public at large, and among those who serve and those who work.

A leader worthy of the name would accept the people’s verdict and announce today that he is leaving political life.

After elections with turnout this high, it would be a mistake to go to another election. It is our duty, and my own personal duty, to do everything possible to carry out the will of the people.

Millions of Israelis have had enough of the culture of lies, enough of the failure, enough of the division and the incitement.

To the millions who voted today for conscription for all, for new leadership, I promise you: I will do everything in my power to form a Zionist government that drafts everyone.

My intention, and that of the Yashar team, is to represent all Israelis. When I founded Yashar, when it was still polling in single figures, this was the vision I had in front of me. We built a party broadly trusted across the public — secular, religious and traditional; right, left and center. A party that offers a serious alternative government.

I will work with my partners to ensure that the people’s decision is translated into a Zionist government: stable and good for all of Israel’s citizens. And quickly — because that is what this moment demands, and because the country needs to be brought back together.

This will be a government true to the principles I have set out all along: recognition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, committed to the values of the Declaration of Independence, committed to passing a law of service for all, and committed to dismantling Hamas.

We will change this country’s priorities and put Israel back on course. We will bring leadership that unites and leadership that is worthy of the office. We will not look to defeat one camp or another, because we are one people — and one people deserves a government that respects and sees every part of it.

The challenges ahead are immense: in security, in the economy, and in matters that go to our very survival. Israel needs leadership that is stable and responsible.

Tonight I want to speak directly to all the heads of the security establishment and the civil service. Netanyahu is a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate and without the public’s confidence. Remember that you serve the state and the interests of Israel’s citizens alone. Stand firm against any attempt to pressure you. You have my full backing.

And Netanyahu — do not dare use Israel’s security for your own political ends.

To all Israelis, I say this now: I can promise that the era of draft evasion, of failure and of lies is over. The era of us and them is over. I will work to represent every part of Israeli society — those who voted for Yashar and those who did not.

We will prove that this is not the victory of one side over another, but a victory for the whole of Israel. That is where our new road truly begins. The division and the needless incitement that became part of our daily lives are finished.

Israel is heading into a new era — an era of hope, of responsibility for one another, of fellowship. All we once had and will have again. I am determined that it will be so.

Before I finish, let me say thank you. To everyone who voted Yashar and put our slip in the ballot box. To everyone who placed their trust in me and walked this long road with me. To the activists and volunteers from Metula to Eilat, who love this people and this land — who hung the posters, who fought for every single vote, who crossed this country without stopping, in the rain and in the blazing sun.

Who gave their hearts and souls for the good of Israel. Thank you, all of you.