Who they are
Born in 1956 to parents who survived Mauthausen and Auschwitz, Stern went to Netiv Meir and enlisted in the paratroopers in 1974. He commanded the officers' school, served as chief education officer, and headed the IDF's manpower directorate from 2004 until he retired a major general in 2008. He entered the Knesset with Hatnua in 2013, moved to Yesh Atid, and was intelligence minister in the change government.
Positions and record
Religion & state: City rabbis should be able to convert, and marriage should not run only through the Rabbinate.
Constitution: Founded a Knesset lobby with Herzog in 2013 to enact the Gavison-Medan covenant.
Politics: Quit Yesh Atid and the Knesset in August 2026 after eleven years, then joined Eisenkot.
Anonymous complaints: In an October 2021 interview he said that as head of the IDF manpower directorate he shredded complaints that reached him anonymously, including sexual-harassment complaints from female soldiers. A soldier later said he had pressed her not to publicise her own complaint, and he withdrew from the race to chair the Jewish Agency, calling the coverage a witch hunt.
Where they stand
Breaks with the party line on 1 issue, marked below.
Judea & Samariaparty lineNo Palestinian state, which Eisenkot has never supported, but a pragmatic approach whose aim is to keep a Jewish majority and stop Israel becoming a binational state.
Two states / withdrawalSovereignty / annexation
Gaza & Securityparty lineA new security doctrine, and an alternative government in Gaza on Israel's terms. Eisenkot pressed for the Rafah operation as leverage for a hostage deal.
Deal & disengagementFull military control
Haredi Enlistmentparty lineEvery citizen is called up, to the army first and to civilian service otherwise, and those who dodge it face prosecution and civil sanctions. Each year no more than 3% of those due to enlist can be exempted, and everyone else serves. The party does not say who would qualify.
Universal draftPreserve exemptions
Judiciaryparty lineA judiciary that is strong, independent and accountable, a Knesset that is sovereign, and a Basic Law: Legislation strengthening the Knesset's own authority.
Court can strike lawsKnesset can override
Economyparty lineWork should pay more than a benefit, with priority always going to those who serve and work. Break up the concentration groups and open the market to parallel imports.
Social spendingFree market
Educationparty lineCore studies are the condition for full public funding, with a national council setting the core, while budget and authority devolve to town halls and to heads.
State runs the schoolsParents and communities
Religion & Statepersonal positionDrove the 2014 cabinet decision letting city rabbis run conversions, which the next government scrapped, and founded the People, Religion and State lobby with Herzog to enact the Gavison-Medan covenant, marriage paths outside the Rabbinate included. That goes further than the party's devolved arrangements.
Civil / pluralistReligious authority
Nation & Citizenshipparty lineA solid Jewish majority for generations, with equal rights, duties and opportunities for every Israeli and minority rights named explicitly, in a state that stays Jewish and democratic in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence.
Equal citizenshipJewish national state
