Newfoundland & Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador Opinion

Share this Story : PNI Atlantic News Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

GWYNNE DYER: What will happen in Israel's upcoming election?

With Israel going to the polls Oct. 27, it appears either Netanyahu or former general Gadi Eisenkot are the candidates to watch

According to the 1970s anarchist slogan, ‘No matter who you vote for, the government always gets in’. That’s certainly true for the election in Israel this month (Oct. 27), even if the winner is not Prime Minister Binyamin (‘Bibi’) Netanyahu himself.

Subscribe now to access this story and more:

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.

Unlimited access to the website and app

Exclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcasts

Full access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on

Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists

Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists

Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.

Access additional stories every month

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting community

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

All the other party leaders, says Israeli journalist Anshel Pfeffer, are just ‘wanna-Bibis’.

Or rather, all the rest except one. Former general Gadi Eisenkot, the main opposition candidate, is the ‘anti-Bibi’, says Pfeffer. He’s a working-class hero who joined the army as a private and worked his way up to chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). He retired and went into politics only four years ago; he’s modest and honest, what’s not to love?

Eisenkot certainly stands out among the party leaders in terms of style, but not so much in terms of actual policies. He was realistic enough to know that ‘total victory’ over Hamas was not likely, but his ‘Dahiya’ strategy of causing “immense damage and destruction” (in Lebanon in the 2006 war) foreshadowed the cataclysm that the IDF has inflicted on Gaza since 2023.

He........

© PNI Atlantic news