October 5, 2026
The Israeli political arena entered a tense phase as the elections approached, following the call of Elisav Peretz, leader of the “Yashar!” party. Chaired by Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to accept an initiative to hold a live television debate between the two men, describing it as a “democratic celebration” that puts the choice before voters.
In a radio interview he conducted, on Monday, on the “103FM” station with broadcasters Gideon Okko and Amichai Atali, Peretz stressed the importance of this confrontation to enable the Israeli street to listen to both sides and judge reliably, saying: “These elections are decisive, and the public will be happy to hear the opinions of Gadi and Netanyahu to decide whom to trust.” He added, calling on Netanyahu to agree: “When you look at Eisenkot, you understand why the party is called Bishar (straight), because he is a reliable person, so why are we not witnessing this democratic celebration?”
Regarding the formation of the next government, Peretz believed that the majority of the people aspire to a unity government, but he added that the leaders who were in charge on October 7 were supposed to resign. In the same context, he affirmed his party’s ability to form a Zionist coalition that holds more than 61 seats without the need for Arab parties, explaining: “Our party was created so that we do not depend on non-Zionist parties, and those parties do not meet Gadi Eisenkot’s criteria and are therefore irrelevant.”
Peretz did not hide his criticism of the extreme right, targeting Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and the “Religious Zionism” party, saying that Smotrich “passed a law supporting deserters and deserters,” hoping that they would retract that and correct their mistakes. However, he expressed optimism in Eisenkot’s ability to unite ranks, based on the reactions of the street thirsty for change after two decades.
At the conclusion of the interview, Peretz categorically denied media reports that talked about requiring party members to sign a “loyalty document,” considering them “fake news.” He stressed by saying: “There is no document of loyalty. We are upright people, and no one signed a document of principles. We have complete confidence in the members of Yashar’s team!”
With these statements, Eisenkot’s camp seeks to push the competition towards a direct and public confrontation with Netanyahu, betting on presenting a political alternative that targets a stable coalition that exceeds the parliamentary majority without seeking help from the Arab blocs.
