​U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee met quietly in recent days with Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot amid the final stretch of Israel’s high-stakes election campaign, Jewish Insider has learned, the first known time U.S. officials have met with the former IDF chief of staff, considered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief rival in the contentious race. 

The meeting, according to a source familiar with the matter, focused on critical security concerns, including Gaza, West Bank escalation and rising settler violence.

​According to another source, the meeting went beyond formal diplomatic courtesy and served as a reconnaissance move by Washington to gauge Eisenkot’s regional outlook.

Neither side officially announced the meeting, and the Yashar party declined to comment.

News of the meeting comes less than two weeks before Israelis go to the polls, at a time when President Donald Trump has yet to endorse any of the leading candidates, including Netanyahu. Asked on Reshet Bet radio station why an endorsement hasn’t materialized, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli offered little detail beyond referencing Trump’s past supportive actions. 

Trump’s neutral posture toward the election, despite repeated questioning, has raised eyebrows in Israel. In a recent interview with Time magazine, when asked whether Netanyahu should seek another term post-Oct. 7, Trump pointed to his own administration’s achievements for Israel, such as moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, while avoiding direct praise for Netanyahu himself. Pressed further, Trump noted he “wouldn’t underestimate Bibi,” and admitted he knew little about Eisenkot.

Meanwhile, Israeli political sources tell JI that opposition figures are actively working to blunt the political impact of any potential last-minute Trump endorsement.

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