MK Eisenkot: We've never been closer to hostage deal, held back by Netanyahu

In light of progress in negotiations for a deal to return the hostages held in Hamas captivity, former chief of staff and current Knesset Member Gadi Eisenkot (National Unity Party) said that Israel had gotten its closest to reaching a deal since the start of the war. 

 "We are in the closest place to a deal in the last nine months. The prices will be very high, but Israel can afford to stop the war for four months and as long as necessary. This is not the end of the war," Eisenkot said.

However, despite optimism for the deal, he remained skeptical about the deal's implementation. 

"Unfortunately, I find it difficult to see [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] rising to the strategic leadership level and making a very difficult decision to stop the war. He will need to gather the forces as required and discuss Israel's national interests," Eisenkot remarked in a weekend interview. 

"I find it difficult to see Netanyahu accepting a deal and telling [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich and [National Security Minister] Itamar Ben-Gvir that it is the right thing to do," he added. 

The current Israeli proposal for the hostages' release was formulated during a meeting with Gantz, Eisenkot, and Netanyahu in the war cabinet. 

According to Eisenkot, Netanyahu has been the main cause of the delay in the deal's advancement.

"The main villain delaying the deal is [head of Hamas] Yahya Sinwar, but Netanyahu is the prime minister who is supposed to achieve the war's objectives – so the ball is in his court. He faces a strategic dilemma – returning the hostages versus the survival of the government – he knows it will lead to a breakdown." 

 "The Netanyahu I served under as Chief of Staff would have chosen the right path. Even with the difficulty, he would have ended the war and made a deal even in tough negotiations," Eisenkot explained. 

He also added that "Netanyahu is bound by personal and political needs that outweigh his ability to save the State of Israel. He does not have those leadership capabilities – that's why he needs to be replaced."

Israel's current position in the North

Regarding the northern front and the continuous rocket fire from Hezbollah, Eisenkot said that "Israel has the military capability to go to war if required, and there will be a heavy price on the home front." 

However, when asked if he trusts the current government to decide on such a war, he responded negatively. 

"Today, Israel has a government that cannot make decisions. The cabinet consists of people with enormous knowledge gaps. There is reason to be concerned," he said. 

Regarding the Iranian threat, Eisenkot added that Netanyahu no longer can handle it. 

"Under previous prime ministers, there was activity that curbed the Iranian nuclear threat – in the last two years, there has been a delay on the issue despite Netanyahu seeming to define it as his top priority," he said.

"Israel has the capabilities to handle this in partnership with Middle Eastern countries, and Netanyahu is not advancing this – when Netanyahu puts Israel in the black hole of Gaza, he is playing into the hands of Sinwar and Iran."

Can Israel actually be victorious with Netanyahu in charge? 

When asked if the current government can win the war, Eisenkot responded, "No, these things were also said in discussions. The path Netanyahu is leading does not lead to victory. Winning cannot be achieved with slogans. The transition to the next phase of the war should have been between a month to three months, we have been delayed for five months."

It has been a month since the National Unity Party withdrew from the war cabinet and the emergency government. Eisenkot described the current security-political cabinet as "broken."

"We left [the war cabinet] because we were politically neutralized. We entered a problematic reality with knowledge, experience, and strategic understanding. We made a significant contribution. Until January, I saw good and correct conduct, but since then, there have been very troubling problems, and we have stayed on to fix them. Unfortunately, political considerations prevailed. I did not trust Netanyahu in the cabinet in the recent period, and therefore, we decided to leave the government," he said.

The regrets of Eisenkot 

"There are quite a few issues I regret, but when we entered the government, there was a lot of responsibility and zero authority. We could speak and persuade, write, or resign. I tried to persuade; in some cases, I succeeded, and in others, I did not, and it caused me frustration," he said, admitting that Netanyahu is better at playing politics than he and Gantz.

However, he also believes that "in today's reality – this is not a compliment. Netanyahu prefers politics over Israel's interest."

When asked if Netanyahu is dangerous to Israel's security, he said, "I don't want to say he is dangerous; he is an Israeli patriot, but he needs to be urgently replaced. In the test of action, he failed in all the goals he set – against Iran, against Saudi Arabia, and in strengthening security, and in his current state, he can no longer advance Israel's interests."

Should citizens of Israel be protesting in the streets?

"It is still worth bringing a million people to the streets to see what is happening in the country. It is desirable to have a broad national agreement, but when a prime minister is leading in the wrong direction, all means within the law should be taken," Eiskenkot explained. 

When asked if and when the chief of staff and the head of the Shin Bet should resign, Eisenkot said, "Both have contributed a lot to Israel, and both have taken responsibility for what happened. They should resign at the first pause [in the war], with the understanding that there is strategic stabilization. I hear harsh statements from bereaved families, they are not criminals, they are excellent people and they should be given credit that after the failure on October 7,  they acted with strength and resilience."

During the war, Eisenkot also joined the ranks of the bereaved families following the death of his youngest son, Gal, in combat in the Gaza Strip in December.

Recalling the loss, he said, "It added great pain, but on the other hand, greater determination to act to be worthy of Gal's sacrifice and that of many others, especially the younger generation in Israel. What kind of state are we building for them? Is it the state we fought for, dreamed of, and paid prices for? My answer is no, not in the last two years, and therefore, it adds motivation to be active and change. 

"Gal, of blessed memory, opposed his entry into the government with Netanyahu after October 7, but later, he was very happy that we were there – it gave him confidence that experienced people wanted to lead in the right direction, and that led young people to risk their lives and protect the country. You see this also among the fallen and in the eulogies they leave behind. There is a wonderful generation here, so it is important that we are worthy of them, that we are a good country," he concluded.