'You Murdered Your Son, Traitor!': Protester Targets Gadi Eisenkot as Allies Blame Benjamin Netanyahu's Rhetoric

Right-wing protesters gathered outside the Herzliya home of Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday evening, shouting 'traitor' and accusing the former Israel Defence Forces (IDF) chief of staff of being responsible for his son's death.

One protester used a megaphone to shout, 'You murdered your son, traitor!' according to footage circulated on social media. The demonstrators were protesting against the prospect of Eisenkot and other opposition leaders forming a government with Arab parties.

The demonstration prompted condemnation from Eisenkot's party and political allies, who accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership of fostering an atmosphere of incitement. Reporting has not established that Netanyahu directed the protest or the remarks made outside Eisenkot's home.

Opposition Leaders Condemn Protest

Yashar described the demonstration as the result of 'rotten, unrestrained political leadership' that had erased political boundaries to remain in power.

'This is what losing one's way looks like. This is the spirit blowing from Netanyahu's office, and it is further proof of the urgent need to replace his government as soon as possible, for the sake of the State of Israel and Israeli society,' the party said.

Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff, expressed support for Eisenkot on Monday.

'I support my friend Gadi Eisenkot in the face of this horrific attack,' Golan wrote on X. 'Soon, we will form a new government [and] put an end to the regime of incitement.'

Golan described the demonstrators as members of what he called Netanyahu's 'poison machine', accusing the prime minister and his associates of spreading rhetoric that had contributed to the attack. He said they would 'cross no line and sink to no depth'.

Former prime minister and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid also condemned the protest, questioning the hostility and calling for a different political path.

These were political accusations, not evidence that Netanyahu organised or approved the demonstration.

Family Losses Behind the Personal Attack

The accusation drew particular attention because of Eisenkot's family losses during the Gaza war.

Journalist Ben Caspit condemned the remarks, referring to Eisenkot's 41 years of military service and the deaths of his son and two nephews.

'How dark must the soul be of someone who shouts such a thing at a man who served in uniform for 41 years and then buried a son and two nephews? How dark,' Caspit wrote.

Eisenkot's son, Master Sgt (res.) Gal Meir Eisenkot, 25, was killed in northern Gaza on 7 December 2023 while serving with the IDF's 699th Battalion of the 551st Brigade. His nephews, Sgt Maor Cohen Eisenkot and Capt Yogev Pazy, were also killed during the war.

Footage reported by The Times of Israel also showed a protester threatening Eisenkot's wife, Hannah, telling her, 'You will be next to your son'. The remark is attributed to the footage, not to a formal police finding.

Election Results Leave Coalition Talks Uncertain

The protest followed Israel's general election on 27 October, which left no bloc with the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset. Likud won 27 seats, while Eisenkot's Yashar Party secured 21, making it the largest opposition party.

The final results gave Netanyahu's bloc 53 seats, the opposition bloc 48 and Arab factions 19. The opposition and Arab parties together hold 67 seats, but that does not mean they have agreed to govern together or that all 19 Arab lawmakers would join a coalition.

A previous demonstration outside Eisenkot's home on Thursday, 29 October, urged him to cooperate with Arab parties. Protesters chanted, 'There is no change without partnership'.

The coalition picture shifted on Monday. Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party said it would recommend Eisenkot for prime minister, while Avigdor Liberman said Yisrael Beytenu would also recommend him. Liberman's support for Eisenkot receiving the mandate does not mean he has agreed to join a government dependent on Arab-party support; he has opposed relying on Arab factions as coalition partners.

Herzog to Begin Coalition Consultations

President Isaac Herzog is due to receive the certified election results from Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg on Wednesday, 4 November, before consulting representatives of the elected factions.

The lawmaker selected to form a government will have 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible extension of up to 14 additional days. Netanyahu's outgoing government remains in office until a new administration is formed. The new Knesset is scheduled to convene on 10 November.

The protest has brought the hostility surrounding coalition negotiations to Eisenkot's doorstep. Whether it changes party positions remains unclear.