Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has endorsed opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar Party ahead of Israel’s 2026 elections, arguing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is losing political support and is “on the wrong side of history”. Olmert said the election could prove among the most consequential in the country’s modern history, with voters facing decisions about Israel’s democracy, the Supreme Court and its future relationship with the Palestinians.
Speaking to Al-Arabiya English on Tuesday, Olmert said the differences between opposition leaders Naftali Bennett, Eisenkot, Yair Lapid and Yair Golan were significant but did not alter his assessment of their political positions.
“Whether people voted for Bennett or Eisenkot or Lapid or Golan, the differences are not insignificant, but they are all on the right side of history, while Netanyahu is on the wrong side of history,” he said.
Olmert singled out Eisenkot as the opposition figure best prepared to lead the country, describing him as more mature, ready and popular than his rivals.
“What I think distinguishes Gadi Eisenkot from all of them is that I think he’s more mature, he’s more ready. And also, I think, the fact that he’s more popular than all of them.”
The former prime minister described the coming election as potentially historic for Israel and the Jewish people.
“These are certainly perhaps the most consequential elections in the modern history of the Jewish people in the State of Israel,” he said.
He argued that the contest was also about protecting Israel’s democratic institutions, particularly the Supreme Court, and said Netanyahu’s political standing was already deteriorating.
Olmert cited opinion polls indicating that Netanyahu could lose between one-third and 40 per cent of his current political power, a decline he described as considerable.
The prime minister’s recent social media activity also came under criticism. Netanyahu shared an AI-generated image depicting a nuclear explosion over Tel Aviv, two days before Israel’s October 27 election, accompanied by a warning that Iran posed an existential threat and that Israel’s security depended on the election outcome.
Olmert described the post as evidence of political desperation and questioned Netanyahu’s judgement.
“It is a sign of desperation and of total loss of the real, genuine ability to judge the political circumstances,” he said.
He accused Netanyahu of attempting to create fear among Israeli voters by presenting the country as facing imminent destruction.
“This is what dictators are normally doing at a time when they are on the verge of complete destruction politically,” Olmert said, describing the atmosphere generated by Netanyahu as one of panic, hysteria and fear.
Olmert also challenged Netanyahu’s statements about Israel’s military campaign against Iran and the destruction of its nuclear capabilities.
Netanyahu had claimed that Israel had “obliterated everything”, including suggesting that Iran possessed a few atomic bombs before attacks in June 2025 or February and March 2026.
Olmert disputed that account, alleging that Iran had never possessed an atomic bomb.
“He said, ‘We obliterated everything.’ And he even said something which is an outright lie, absolute nonsense,” Olmert said.
He argued that Iran’s nuclear programme involved enriched uranium rather than completed nuclear weapons.
“We know that they didn’t have atomic bombs. We know that what they had, which is bad enough, is enriched to a level of 60% that is stored somewhere underground in boxes, but they never had a bomb, they never possessed a bomb, and we never destroyed a bomb.”
Despite his criticism of Netanyahu, Olmert acknowledged Israel’s military achievements against regional adversaries.
“In spite of the surprise and the failures of the defense system on October 7, we still defeated Hezbollah in the north, Hamas in the south, and Iran, which is an empire, a hugely powerful nation,” he said.
On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Olmert called for Israel to take the risk of pursuing a two-state solution, describing it as the “best possible solution for the State of Israel”.
He also blamed Netanyahu for policies preceding the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, accusing the prime minister of refusing to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority while pursuing an understanding with Hamas.
“He is the one who developed this strategy. He is the one who refused to negotiate or to deal with the Palestinian Authority and preferred to build up some kind of understanding with Hamas,” Olmert said.
His criticism extended to settler violence in the West Bank, where he warned Israeli political leaders and security commanders that failure to act could expose them to legal responsibility.
Addressing the leadership of Israel, the army and police, Olmert said they could face consequences for crimes committed by Jewish extremists, potentially including proceedings before the International Criminal Court.
“If you will not take care of the Jewish terror in the West Bank, you will be held legally responsible for the crimes which are committed there… possibly also in the International Criminal Court,” he said.
Olmert urged Israeli voters to support political change, arguing that a different government could benefit Israel, the Palestinians and the wider Jewish community.
“We have to change, and we can change. And the change will be a step forward for the State of Israel, for the Palestinian people, for the region, and for the Jewish people across the world.”
