Who do Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell think could win Israel's election, Netanyahu or Eisenkot?

On The Rest Is Politics, the hosts say the race is too close to call. Mainstream polls put Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc near 52 seats and the opposition near 54 in a 120-seat Knesset where 61 are needed. If Netanyahu falls, Alastair Campbell expects Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief who lost a son in the war, to lead, while Rory Stewart says coalition bargaining could even make Avigdor Lieberman prime minister.

• Parties need 3.25% of the vote to enter the Knesset, so small parties can vanish or add four seats.
• Rory Stewart recalls Naftali Bennett becoming prime minister with only a small party behind him.
• Netanyahu would be seeking a seventh term after dominating Israeli politics since 1996.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-21). Read the whole episode summary →

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