Eisenkot's "Yashar!" Party Releases Birthday Video for Netanyahu with a Call for Change

A campaign video released on Wednesday by the "Yashar!" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, congratulated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his birthday while adding a wish for political change.

The video, published as Netanyahu celebrates his 77th birthday, features a birthday cake with a "Mazal Tov" inscription and a chair-shaped decoration with a candle in the center. After a child off-screen blows out the candle, he is asked, "What did you wish for?" and replies, "Change." The video concludes with the text: "Bibi, Mazal Tov. This year it is our turn to make a wish."

The publication comes against the background of a meeting held on Tuesday between Eisenkot and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, following recent tensions. Liberman had previously criticized Eisenkot, comparing him to opposition figures and claiming his campaign was harming smaller parties in the bloc. Following their discussion, the two agreed that the primary effort must focus on increasing voter turnout among the public, emphasizing the importance of voting for one of the four parties comprising the "serving bloc."

Recent polls indicate a shift in momentum, with the change bloc—in which Eisenkot's party is the largest—gaining ground. According to a recent Israel Hayom poll, the opposition bloc reaches 52 mandates compared to 50 for Netanyahu's bloc. Polls by Kan News, Channel 13, and Channel 12 also show the opposition leading by one to four mandates, though neither bloc currently secures the 61 mandates required for a governing majority.