Huckabee met secretly with Netanyahu’s top rival, Gadi Eisenkot

The meeting marks the first known instance in which U.S. officials have met with the Yashar party leader, coming in the final stage of the high-stakes Israeli election

By Gili Cohen

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.

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