Eisenkot and Gafni Meet Privately
A previously undisclosed meeting was held last week between former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Degel HaTorah leader MK Moshe Gafni shortly after Rav Dov Landau called for the “breakup of the right-wing bloc,” Israel’s Channel 12 reported Sunday.
The discussion took place against the backdrop of mounting political friction surrounding the draft law and intensified maneuvering within the opposition ahead of a potential national election.
Channel 12 reported that the conversation was conducted in a cordial atmosphere, despite the sharp disputes over the enlistment of bochurim and broader tensions with the chareidi public.
In recent weeks, Eisenkot has come under fire from political opponents who claim his approach to chareidi military service is far more lenient than the positions put forward by Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman.
Eisenkot’s proposal would reportedly exempt roughly 30 percent of bnei yeshiva from service requirements and shield them from penalties. Bennett and Lieberman, by contrast, continue advocating mandatory enlistment for all, maintaining that anyone who avoids service should not receive state benefits.
Associates of Eisenkot declined to verify the meeting but also did not deny it, saying only that he is “working through multiple avenues” to topple the government and push the country toward elections. Gafni’s office responded that it does not discuss meetings involving public officials.
Speaking last week at a conference organized by the Association of Corporations, Eisenkot described the enlistment issue as a political “red line,” even if it ultimately triggers elections. He said the current situation surrounding military service and the chareidi sector is untenable and reflects deep disagreements between the sides.
Reports earlier this month also pointed to increasing communication between Eisenkot and chareidi representatives, some of whom reportedly encouraged him not to quickly align himself with Bennett or Yair Lapid. According to those reports, his enlistment outline was viewed as comparatively pragmatic and more flexible. Not long afterward, Eisenkot was spotted touring Carmel Market, where he left open the possibility of cooperating politically with chareidi parties.
