Eisenkot's Party Criticized Over Election Campaign Styled as IDF Draft Notices
Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party sparked criticism by sending election campaign flyers styled as official IDF draft notices. The Central Elections Committee dismissed a Likud petition as moot but criticized the tactic, ordering the party to pay costs.
A female soldier from Hadera was shocked to discover an urgent letter in her family's mailbox that appeared to be an official document from the Israel Defense Forces. The envelope featured the inscriptions "Israel Defense Forces,Tel Hashomer Recruitment Office," and "Urgent Mail," alongside an emblem resembling an emergency mobilization order. Her parents, fearing an immediate military draft notice, quickly checked the contents. The panic, however, quickly turned to astonishment as they realized the military-style envelope was a campaign stunt by the "Yashar!" party, led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot.
The family was not alone in encountering the election tactic. The party distributed the letters widely to soldiers, utilizing a design that closely mimics official military documents. Only in the lower corner of the front envelope, in small print, was it written: "Served by the Yashar! party with Eisenkot." The back featured a photograph of Eisenkot alongside the slogan "This time, drafting for everyone. This time Eisenkot," preceded by the text: "Relax. This isn't real yet. But there is hope inside." The campaign drew sharp criticism for blurring the lines between the IDF and partisan election propaganda, especially given that the party leader previously served as military chief.
The Likud party, represented by attorneys Ilan Bombach, Shay Levy, and Shaked Cohen, petitioned the Central Elections Committee against Eisenkot and his party. The petition argued that the envelopes violated the Election Propaganda Law, which prohibits using the IDF in a manner that might create the impression the military is associated with a specific party. It was further claimed that illicit use was made of intangible state assets for propaganda purposes.
Eisenkot and his party, represented by attorneys Uri Haberman and Adi Marinberg, rejected the claims. They argued that no public assets were utilized and the letters did not constitute an association of the IDF with the party. They also clarified that all letters had already been dispatched on October 15, making it impossible to halt their distribution.
In a decision handed down before the Sabbath, the Elections Committee ruled that the petition had become moot because the letters had already been sent. Nevertheless, the ruling sharply criticized the former Chief of Staff's party for utilizing the military's official appearance for election propaganda. "It is very difficult not to see the design of the front of the envelope [...] as a certain use of the IDF," the decision stated, noting it resembled an army letter at first glance.
The judge also addressed the alarm such a letter could cause among soldiers and their families, citing biblical verse regarding distress and melting hearts. He noted that a seemingly military letter at the present time could trigger such a reaction, even if only for a few seconds until the recipient realized the truth.
Despite the reprimand, the judge emphasized he was not ruling that the campaign violated the law and ordered the petition dismissed. However, he ordered Eisenkot and his party to pay 2,000 shekels in legal costs to Likud and an additional 4,000 shekels to the state treasury, citing their failure to inform Likud beforehand that the letters had already been sent.
