Eisenkot Declares Israelis Chose Change and Vows to Replace Netanyahu's Government

Eisenkot opened his remarks by telling supporters that Israelis had gone out that morning to choose the country's future leaders and that the Israeli street had chosen change. He said the coalition government had lost the confidence of the government, yet the coalition had opted to keep Netanyahu as the country's prime minister.

He acknowledged that the results were preliminary and that the final results still had to be awaited. Even so, he said that as of that night Netanyahu had found himself facing a larger force, which he described as a clear majority of the Israeli street and of those serving in the army.

Eisenkot said a real leader would have decided to resign and accept the will of the people, given the high percentage of voters who turned out. He argued that holding a rerun of the elections would be a mistake.

He said it was his duty and the duty of everyone to make the will of the people a reality, and he described the result as a rejection of what he called a lying policy.

Eisenkot said millions of Israelis were tired of what he called a lying policy and had chosen new leadership. He promised to do his utmost to form a Zionist government that would mobilize and deploy the army, and said he would work with his party to represent all Israelis.

He recalled that his party began as a small one but, through its vision, gained the trust of Israelis from the right, the center and the left, which he said represented a good alternative for the country. He pledged to form a government as soon as possible to unify the population, saying it would respect the constitution.

Eisenkot said the government would commit to Israel's principles and to a Zionist democratic country that respects the constitution. He said it would pass a law making military service mandatory for everyone and would work on dismantling the Hamas party.

He said Israel would change its priorities and return to the right path, and that the leadership would unify everyone without bias, respecting the different components of society. He acknowledged that many challenges lay ahead, including economic, political and security challenges, and said Israel needed a stable and responsible leadership.

Eisenkot addressed law enforcement authorities directly, saying that Netanyahu no longer had the confidence of the people. He reminded them that they were there to serve the Israeli population.

He told them they had to stand firm against any possibility of being challenged and said he gave them his full support in doing so.

Turning to Netanyahu directly, Eisenkot warned him not to use the security of Israelis to achieve his own political purposes and interests.

Eisenkot said the era of avoiding military service had ended, along with failure and lies. He pledged to work to represent the different components of Israeli society, including those who had not voted for him.

He said the result would not be a one-sided victory of one side against the other, but a victory for all the Israeli people, and described it as a new start on a new path.

Eisenkot said the old era was over and that Israel was starting a new era in which the country would be responsible for its future. He said he was committed to making that a reality.

He then thanked voters, party partners, volunteers and campaign workers, along with his family, and told supporters that they could tell their children and grandchildren that change had happened thanks to them. He also thanked the young people who had been part of the campaign.

Eisenkot addressed the citizens of Israel, saying the country had been through tough years but that it now had a new opportunity for change and recovery. He said he believed in the people of Israel and in the country.

He said the country would start from there to write a new and better chapter in the life of the state of Israel, and that the team expected to achieve a lot.

Eisenkot said the team looked forward to reforming and recovering the country and building a common future for all Israelis. He said this would not have been possible without the thousands of people who had made the right choice that night.