Who is Gadi Eisenkot, the man with the best chance to oust Netanyahu?
JERUSALEM — Hawkish, reserved and unpolished, Israel's former military chief has a viable chance of unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His name is Gadi Eisenkot. And while the votes from Tuesday's election are still being counted, his centrist party, Yashar, along with other opposition allies, has the clearest path to power if they can join forces with Arab-led parties, though pulling it off may prove difficult. It has been a remarkable climb for the 66-year-old, who was raised by Moroccan-Jewish immigrants, and whose son died fighting in the latest war in Gaza. But it's also a major challenge for a man relatively untested in Israel's hardscrabble tradition of coalition building. The commander of some of Israel's most difficult wartime battles, he is now up against Netanyahu, who has shown, time and time again, an almost uncanny ability to survive the cutthroat world of Israeli politics. Nevertheless, Eisenkot was ecstatic and determined late Tuesday as initial exit polls suggested a big loss for Netanyahu. “We have made history!" he bellowed from a podium in Tel Aviv. “Mil
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