Eisenkot brands Netanyahu's digital finance plan a path to ruin

Ordinary Israelis now face a political fight over their savings after Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of planning to destroy the national economy. On Saturday, Eisenkot, the chairman of the Yashar party, released a campaign video on X/Twitter. In the clip, the former IDF chief argued that Netanyahu’s push for alternative financial mechanisms is an admission that he has financially wrecked the country.

The video began with the warning that all Israeli money is at risk. It then played clips from an earlier Channel 10 interview where Netanyahu stated that Israel must prepare for an alternative economy. Netanyahu cited the numerous international sanctions facing the country as the reason for this shift.

A major focus of Eisenkot’s critique was the prime minister’s interest in blockchain technology. Netanyahu acknowledged in the interview that digital finance would certainly form part of his strategy. He told reporters, “I've already asked for a plan to be prepared for that.” Eisenkot’s team responded by mocking the concept with the label Bibicoin. They argued that such a financial mechanism would ultimately destroy Israel.

The campaign video painted a grim picture of the potential outcome. It claimed that an alternative system would create an economy similar to North Korea and Iran. The ad stated the result would be the end of high-tech industries, healthcare, and security. It urged voters not to let the prime minister burn through their savings. The video also questioned how global high-tech firms could invest in Israeli companies if digital currency were the only payment method available.

In a separate post on X, Eisenkot addressed the issue with a more personal tone. He wrote that Netanyahu admits his policy will lead to international isolation and economic sanctions. Eisenkot said these sanctions will shake the economy and the market. He concluded that this trajectory will result in the collapse of national security.

The exchange places Netanyahu’s economic contingency thinking at the center of the political debate. Eisenkot is using the prime minister’s own words from the Channel 10 interview as the primary basis for his criticism. The former IDF chief frames the new financial plan not as a safety net, but as evidence of deep fiscal trouble.