Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle of racism after a senior Netanyahu adviser shared a post mocking Eisenkot’s English, saying the attack reflected panic among the prime minister’s allies.
“It is racist, and I despise them,” the former IDF chief said in an interview with “120 and One,” ynet’s Hebrew-language political podcast. The full interview is set to be published Thursday.
Eisenkot, who is expected to challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming general election, said he had attended dozens of English-language meetings with Netanyahu during his time as IDF chief of staff. “I don’t remember him ever commenting once on my present perfect,” Eisenkot said.
The post was shared by Yonatan Urich, a close Netanyahu adviser who is facing legal scrutiny over allegations of leaking classified information. Eisenkot called him “a criminal” and “a contemptible person,” adding that he should have “buried himself in a bunker.”
“What does it say about Netanyahu, what does it say about Likud, that such a contemptible person is the man everyone there fears and who leads them by the nose?” Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot also mocked Netanyahu’s long-standing political brand as a fluent English speaker and effective advocate for Israel abroad. “Where was Netanyahu’s excellent English on Oct. 7?” Eisenkot asked, referring to Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel. “Did it help us in any way? It helped with nothing. Where is his excellent English in strengthening Israel-U.S. relations, which this morning are at a low point?”
Eisenkot said he had never claimed to speak polished English but had managed in many international meetings. “I know how to speak, read and write, and I got by in many meetings,” he said.
He described the campaign against him as a sign of weakness. “They are frightened. I see their panic through the channels,” Eisenkot said, referring to pro-Netanyahu media outlets. “On Channel 14, I am dealt with in every slot except the weather. I assume that will happen in the coming days, and I will be blamed for the June-July heat wave.”
Eisenkot said the attacks would not deter him. “If they knew me, they would know it makes me more stubborn,” he said. “It makes me more determined, so they can continue.”