OMM Newsroom
US Ambassador Mike Huckabee held a previously undisclosed meeting with Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot in the days before Israel’s Oct. 27 Knesset elections, Israel’s public broadcaster reported Thursday.
The meeting with Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, was their first and only encounter, the broadcaster said. It did not disclose where or when the talks took place.
Citing a source familiar with the meeting, the broadcaster said the discussion covered security issues, including tensions and violence in the occupied West Bank, as well as the situation in the Gaza Strip.
Neither Huckabee nor Eisenkot’s office announced the meeting, and Yashar declined to comment, according to the report.
Netanyahu meeting canceled at last minute
The broadcaster also reported that a planned meeting between Huckabee and Netanyahu was canceled at the last minute. An informed source said Netanyahu called it off, but gave no reason. No new date has been set.
The reports of the two meetings emerged ahead of the elections, as attention focused on Washington’s position in the contest. Netanyahu has often highlighted his relationship with US President Donald Trump, who has praised him repeatedly, but Trump had not endorsed either Netanyahu or Eisenkot.
Poll shows opposition bloc ahead
A poll published Monday by Israeli Channel 12 put the opposition bloc on course to win 67 seats in the 120-member Knesset, against 49 for the governing coalition. A party or coalition needs at least 61 seats to form a government.
The poll gave Eisenkot’s Yashar party 23 seats and Netanyahu’s Likud party 20. Asked who would make a better prime minister, 45% of respondents chose Eisenkot and 35% chose Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has led the current government since December 2022. His coalition has been widely described as the most right-wing in Israel’s history and has drawn international criticism over its actions in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere.
Netanyahu also faces corruption, bribery and breach-of-trust charges in three cases. The International Criminal Court has sought him since 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, where more than 74,000 people have been killed since October 2023, according to the source.
