Eisenkot Calls Netanyahu Unfit to Lead Israel
Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “no longer fit” to lead the country, days before Israel’s general election on October 27. The Netanyahu unfit to lead charge centres on the prime minister’s plan to prepare alternative payment methods, including cryptocurrencies, in case of international economic and banking sanctions.
Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu on Saturday of turning his attention to “dismantling the Israeli economy for generations ahead” after “dismantling Israeli society and weakening the army”.
He said Netanyahu’s recent remarks are “conclusive proof that he has lost touch with reality and moved into a world of delusions”.
“This is the madness of a man who is no longer fit to lead the country,” Eisenkot wrote on X.
The sanctions plan behind the row
Netanyahu said a day earlier that he had requested an economic plan involving alternative payment methods, including cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. He presented it as preparation for possible international economic and banking sanctions, and he expressed concern about restrictions on Israel’s banking system.
Netanyahu did not say Israel would withdraw from the global system; that reading was Eisenkot’s criticism, not the announcement.
Netanyahu also warned that US military aid would not last forever, urging Israel to prepare for its possible end.
Eisenkot mocked the proposal as “Bibicoin”, combining Netanyahu’s nickname, Bibi, with the idea of using alternative payment methods and financial technologies.
He questioned how Israeli technology firms serving foreign customers would receive payments or attract investment if they had to bypass banking channels, and how foreign firms could acquire Israeli businesses.
Eisenkot warned the approach could push companies overseas, damage savings and investments, prompt citizens to leave, and cut resources for healthcare and education.
“This is not an imagined nightmare scenario, but Netanyahu’s plan for Israel if he is reelected,” Eisenkot said. “This is a real warning. Israel will not withstand another four years like these.”
Bank of Israel and Bennett push back
Eisenkot was not the only critic. The Bank of Israel responded on Saturday, saying digital currencies “cannot be used as a way to circumvent sanctions on Israel”.
“The right thing for Israel’s economy is to maintain economic relations with our main trading partners and focus on preventing sanctions and their negative impact on the economy,” the bank said. “This issue is within the responsibility of the political echelon, and it is appropriate to act to advance it.”
Netanyahu answered the bank sarcastically, thanking it “for the advice”, according to KAN News.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads B’Yachad, also attacked the plan, warning that it would bring “the destruction of Israeli high-tech, the loss of livelihood for hundreds of thousands of families, poverty for millions of Israelis, a serious blow to tourism and businesses, and putting Israel’s security in real danger”.
“Netanyahu is placing Israel on a par with Iran, North Korea, and Russia,” Bennett said.
An unnamed senior economic official told Israeli media that merely proposing such measures could damage confidence in the economy.
Netanyahu unfit to lead row before election day
The row lands in the final days of a tight campaign. Israel votes on Tuesday, October 27, and polls give neither bloc a clear path to the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Eisenkot’s Yashar party polls at 20 to 23 seats, close to Netanyahu’s Likud. Arab-majority lists have also said they will work to oust Netanyahu, which could leave them holding the balance of power after the vote.
Eisenkot, 66, served as army chief of staff from 2015 to 2019, entered politics in 2022, and later quit Netanyahu’s war cabinet in June 2024, saying there was no clear post-war plan. His youngest son was killed in Gaza in December 2023, and two of his nephews also died in combat.
He has already ruled out serving under Netanyahu in any circumstances, including a rotation deal, saying on 103FM radio on October 21 that he would resign within an hour.
Israel’s West Bank operations have also intensified during the campaign, and families in Hebron have faced displacement and demolitions. Trump has endorsed Netanyahu in the election.
Eisenkot closed with an appeal to voters to choose “a better shared future”, calling Netanyahu’s policies a threat to long-term stability.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot?
Gadi Eisenkot is the leader of the Yashar party and a former chief of staff of the Israeli army, who served from 2015 to 2019 and later sat as an observer in Netanyahu’s war cabinet.
