From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Eisenkot: No political change is required; one man must make a tough decision
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Speaking at a closed event, Benny Gantz’s former political partner Gadi Eisenkot appears to dismiss his proposal for a unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring about the return of hostages in Gaza.
Eisenkot was Gantz’s number two in leading National Unity in recent years. Both are former heads of the IDF. With Gantz, he entered Benjamin Netanyahu’s government days after the October 7, 2023, attack, but the two took the party out of the coalition in June 2024, citing differences of opinion on the handling of the war. Eisenkot himself quit Gantz’s party and the Knesset in June 2025.
“As someone who was deeply involved until two months ago and accompanied all the negotiations, I’ll say it clearly — no political change is required, no new partnership is needed,” Eisenkot says.
“This is about one man who must make a tough, but necessary decision,” he adds, referring to Netanyahu.
He says the phased deal on the table “is not only possible – it must be done, and the captives must be brought back as soon as possible.”
Responding to him, Gantz tweets: “Gadi, my friend, you know the truth –- if you and I hadn’t joined the government on October 11, 116 women and children would never have returned home. Yes, it takes one man to make the decision. But when he doesn’t, we have to try every possible way to get him there. We have no legitimacy to abandon them.”
The Times of Israel Community.