Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari, 36, has joined former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, bringing municipal experience and a strong record on youth engagement and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Zari was Ramat Gan’s first openly gay elected official after founding a young residents’ list in 2018 and led reforms that placed the city atop Aguda’s municipal equality index. Eisenkot hailed Zari as a courageous, principled leader who can help build unifying, non-partisan national leadership. Zari said rising social divisions in Israel motivated him to move from local to national politics to defend equality and boost civic participation.
Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari Joins Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar Party — Strengthening Youth and LGBTQ+ Representation
Israel Zari and Gadi Eisenkot in a party announcement posted on August 4, 2026. (photo credit: Screenshot/Instagram)
Ramat Gan Deputy Mayor Israel Zari, who leads the city’s Diamond Exchange District Administration, formally joined former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party on Tuesday, the party announced. Zari’s decision marks the latest high-profile municipal official to sign onto Eisenkot’s national list.
“Israel brings with him young, courageous, and principled leadership, alongside municipal experience and extensive work to strengthen civic engagement among teenagers and young adults,” Eisenkot said, praising Zari’s record.
Eisenkot added:
“Together with him, we will continue building honest, responsible, and unifying national leadership for all Israeli citizens.”
Israel Zari, 36, is a Ramat Gan resident with a bachelor’s degree in communications (with honors) from Reichman University and is a graduate of the Argov Program for Leadership and Diplomacy. Before holding elected office, he gained experience across government and civil society: he was a personal adviser to Israel’s transportation minister and served as spokesperson for the Ra'anana municipality, the Israeli Scouts movement, and the Aguda (The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel).
At age 28, Zari founded an independent list for young residents and won a seat on the Ramat Gan city council in 2018. He became Ramat Gan’s first openly gay elected official and later led municipal reforms that lifted the city to the top of Aguda’s national municipal LGBTQ equality index.
Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party attends a conference in the northern Israeli city of Haifa, July 9, 2026. (credit: Sharon Leibel/Flash90)
The Yashar list has attracted a broad range of recruits from security, government and civil society, including former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen; economist Shaul Meridor; former ministers Matan Kahana and Orit Farkash-Hacohen; former Aharai CEO Inbar Harush Giti; social activists Alex Rif and Yaffa Tabaja; attorney Inbar Yehezkeli; educator Dvora Sharifian Bachar; Maj.-Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rokon; and Drom HaSharon Regional Council head Oshrat Gani Gonen.
Zari said his move into national politics grew out of long-standing work with young Israelis and a conviction that greater civic engagement is urgently needed. In his words:
“Throughout my life I have worked with young people, and I have always taught them that if they do not act, no one else will do it for them. The reality in Israel in 2026 requires us not to stand on the sidelines but to take responsibility and influence the country's national decision-making centers.”
“Leadership is measured by action, by the courage to advance equality, and by concern for future generations. The hatred and division in Israeli society are a real existential danger, and I decided to join Gadi Eisenkot and the Yashar party because I believe in honest, statesmanlike leadership that rises above partisan politics, serves all Israeli citizens, and offers a genuine vision of hope and unity.”
Observers say Zari’s addition strengthens Yashar’s appeal to younger voters and to constituencies prioritizing civic engagement and LGBTQ+ equality as national issues.
Photo caption: Gadi Eisenkot, head of the Yashar party, attends a conference in Haifa on July 9, 2026. (credit: Sharon Leibel/Flash90)
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