Israel’s political landscape changes: Retired Gen. Noam Tibon joins Yesh Atid; Einat Wilf creates new party

In the aftermath of the Oct. 7, 2023 catastrophe, Israel’s political landscape is widely expected to change dramatically ahead of the next elections, which are likely to be held during the next year.

Nearly all of the political and military leaders directly associated with the Oct. 7 failures have left their posts, with the notable exception of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Meanwhile, a new pack of leaders is preparing itself to potentially take power in the coming years, many of whom have risen to prominence due to their actions on Oct. 7, or their searing criticism of the state’s failures leading to the invasion.

This week, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon and former lawmaker Einat Wilf, threw their hats into the political ring.

Tibon (63) announced he will join the center-left Yesh Atid party, which has been foundering in recent polls.

Noam Tibon is joining Yesh Atid — a significant boost for Lapid’s party. The retired IDF general, who heroically fought through Palestinian terrorists to save his family on October 7, brings the security heavyweight Yesh Atid has long lacked. pic.twitter.com/Jv5B0EuzAn

— Eli Kowaz - איליי קואז (@elikowaz) November 19, 2025

Party chairman and current Opposition Leader Yair Lapid praised the retired general, who rushed to rescue his family from Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, as “a hero of Israel.”

“Noam brings unparalleled security experience to Yesh Atid,” Lapid told reporters in Tel Aviv. Tibon began his army career in the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit, before rising to command the 202 Paratroopers Battalion, the Nahal Brigade, the West Bank Division and, finally, the Northern Formation.

Tibon said he is now enlisting in “the most important mission” of his life, “saving our beloved State of Israel.”

He vowed that the next government would set up a state commission of inquiry to investigate the failures of Oct. 7, calling it “a moral obligation.”

Tibon noted that the “most important lesson of October 7” was that “the State of Israel needs a large and strong army,” and also said he would “lead a brave and determined struggle” against the government’s plan for a new IDF draft law, later calling it an “existential threat to the State of Israel.”

On Oct. 7, Tibon rushed to Kibbutz Nahal Oz while it was under attack to rescue his son, Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon, his daughter-in-law and their two young children.

“On October 7, I saw the failure with my own eyes,” Tibon recounted. “I drove along roads strewn with bodies. I fought terrorists carrying RPGs and AKs, alongside soldiers who scrambled from their homes without vests. Since that awful day, I’ve been saying: Everyone responsible for the failure must go home.”

Einat Wilf (54), a former Knesset Member for the Labor Party, announced the creation of her new “Oz” (Strength) party on Tuesday. The name is an allusion to Psalms 29:11, “The Lord will give strength unto his people, the Lord will bless his people with peace.”

She served as an Intelligence Officer in the IDF, and a Foreign Policy Advisor to Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres before becoming a lawmaker from 2010 to 2013.

Wilf has served as a major unofficial spokesperson for Israel throughout the war, giving interviews and appearing on podcasts across the world to defend the country.

She has criticized the government’s conduct of the hostage negotiations and also campaigned to close down UNRWA.

According to the party’s website, Oz’s platform is based on three basic principles: “Pursue Peace based on Arab and Palestinian Embrace of Zionism; Public Services for those who Serve the Public; Complete the Zionist Revolution from a Diasporic Mindset to Sovereign Conduct.”

In September, former communications minister Yoaz Hendel announced another new political party called HaMiluimnikim (The Reservists).

He said the party includes “reservists, families of reservists, wounded IDF soldiers, bereaved families and civilian volunteers.”

In his statement, Hendel said that those responsible for Oct. 7 “should go home and those who took responsibility that day, and since, should take control of the centers of power and lead the country.”

“The reservists are coming to force the rehabilitation of the political system,” the party said, calling for a “Zionist government,” “service for all” and the “establishment of a committee of inquiry” to investigate Oct. 7.

Other new parties include former prime minister Naftali Bennet’s yet-unnamed platform and former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s “Yashar! With Eisenkot.”

The next elections are currently scheduled for Oct. 26 next year but could be held much earlier if the coalition collapses before then.