The Global Story: The challenger to Netanyahu, with New Yorker editor David Remnick

**Asma Khalid** (0:00)
Hey there, it's Asma Khalid. I'm one of the hosts of The Global Story Podcast from the BBC.
And as a bonus for your feed, we're bringing you one of our favorite episodes of the week. Every weekday on The Global Story, we try to tell one big story about where the world and America intersect. This week, Donald Trump's son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, met with Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel in an attempt to get the US-led Gaza peace plan back on track. But convincing the Israeli Prime Minister to change his position will likely be an uphill battle, in part because Netanyahu is also thinking about domestic politics. He has elections he's trying to win this fall and wants to prove he's tough on Hamas. And Netanyahu is facing some major competition in this upcoming election.
We spoke to David Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, about the man emerging as one of Netanyahu's most formidable opponents. Remnick recently profiled him for the magazine. And a note that if you enjoy our episode today, you can always find more from us by searching for The Global Story wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Now on to today's show.

**Tristan Redman** (1:07)
Benjamin Netanyahu has been on the scene for a long time. He could have just turned 30 years old and never known a time when he wasn't either prime minister or somewhere near the top of Israeli politics. But that could be about to change.

**Asma Khalid** (1:24)
Israel is less than three months away from a high stakes general election in which Netanyahu could lose. And it could be to a man who's little known outside of Israel by the name of Gadi Eisenkot.

**Tristan Redman** (1:40)
He's the former top general in the Israeli military. He served in Netanyahu's war cabinet. His son was killed in the war in Gaza.

**Asma Khalid** (1:50)
And now he's being talked about by some in the international press as the anti-Netanyahu. But is that really true?

**Tristan Redman** (1:58)
Today on the show, we talk to David Remnick, editor of the New Yorker magazine, and a man who's been reporting on Israel for more than 25 years. He recently spent time with Eisenkot and wrote an extensive profile of him.
From the BBC, I'm Tristan Redman.

**Asma Khalid** (2:14)
And I'm Asma Khalid. And today on The Global Story, who is Gadi Eisenkot? And if he were to become the Israeli prime minister, would anything actually change?
David, thank you for taking the time to join us on The Global Story. We really appreciate it.

**David Remnick** (2:34)
Pleasure to be here.

**Tristan Redman** (2:35)
It's great to have you with us, David. You've written this long profile for The New Yorker of Gadi Eisenkot. We're talking to you today to try to understand who this man is because he's one of the front runners for the upcoming Israeli election, which is a big deal. When Asma and I both read your piece, which we really enjoyed, we were really struck by one story in particular, which is the story of how Gadi Eisenkot lost his son not so long ago.
What happened and why has this story become so central to his election run?

**David Remnick** (3:16)
Everybody's kid served in the military, and one of his five children was called up as a reservist. He was an army medic, and he was sent on a mission with his small group to retrieve the bodies of two hostages who had been killed in Gaza. Not two living hostages, but the bodies.
During that mission, it is likely he either was shot or more likely stepped on an IED, an explosive device. Everybody heard about this because of who Gadi Eisenkot is.

**SPEAKER_4** (3:53)
At the funeral of IDF soldier Gal Eisenkot, wails of sorrow.

**David Remnick** (3:58)
The funeral was on television.

**SPEAKER_4** (4:00)
Senior officials mourned with the family in the most high-profile loss for the IDF so far.

**David Remnick** (4:06)
Eisenkot's eulogy was televised. People felt this very acutely.

**Asma Khalid** (4:17)
So it sounds like this story of losing his son is really central to how the Israeli public views Eisenkot. But Eisenkot has a long backstory in Israeli public life, and you write about that as well. Can you tell us what that story is?

**David Remnick** (4:37)
So Eisenkot is a Moroccan.
Every prime minister since Ben-Gurion has been Ashkenazi. In other words, the descendant of Eastern European Jews. When he goes to a town that has a lot of Moroccan Jews, people who came from Morocco or from other Muslim states, Iraq, Syria, these are Jews who left in the 40s and the 50s. And into the 60s, they use a Moroccan Arabic phrase indicating one of us. And that's not something that Netanyahu can challenge. But Gadi Eisenkot is a military man. He's a very high-ranking military officer. He was even at one point chief of staff under Netanyahu.