Bennett lacks strategy, adviser says, as Eisenkot gains in polls

The contest for leadership of Israel's opposition is heating up, with political figures trading barbs and strategists questioning campaign effectiveness. Communications adviser Ronen Tzur described former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's approach toward rival Gadi Eisenkot as strategically helpless and inconsistent. Tzur stated that Bennett is campaigning without a clear map or stars, relying on gut feelings, and has neither a strategy nor a narrative with only 90 days left until the election.

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His [Eisenkot's] draft outline is an insane mistake. [MK Moshe] Gafni and [MK Aryeh] Deri will once again run circles around the latest politician, and it will end with nothing.

Bennett himself has been critical of Eisenkot's platform, calling it an "insane mistake" that would allow rivals like MK Moshe Gafni and MK Aryeh Deri to outmaneuver him. Meanwhile, Bennett's party colleague, MK Ram Ben Barak, acknowledged Eisenkot's appeal as an alternative to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but pointed to his lack of government experience. Ben Barak emphasized that Bennett and other Yesh Atid MKs possess the necessary experience, expressing confidence in their party's ability to rise in the polls and form the next government.

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I think what Gadi Eisenkot is presenting, and he is also a friend of mine, is 180 degrees [away] from Netanyahu. The public is so fed up with what it is seeing that it wants the exact opposite. We have still not succeeded in convincing people that what matters now is experience.

Adding to the critical assessment, former minister Haim Ramon believes that the attacks from Bennett and Yair Lapid will not help them recover lost Knesset seats. Instead, Ramon suggests these attacks could inadvertently benefit Prime Minister Netanyahu. He characterized their situation as hopeless, predicting a potential single-digit result for their parties unless a significant shift occurs.

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what Eisenkot lacks is experience in government work. This is not the military. Bennett has that experience, and the Yesh Atid MKs have it.