Gadi Eisenkot’s Rise Shows the Risks of Becoming Israel’s New “Sweetheart”

“Mami” is a common Israeli term of endearment, but this column uses it to describe a public figure who briefly satisfies a deep emotional need in the Israeli public. In politics, the author says, many leaders want that status, but it is unstable and often short-lived.

The piece cites past examples: Yair Lapid was once seen as a “national sweetheart” when he was a television star, and Shlomo Artzi and Idan Amedi filled a similar role in culture. Among politicians, Shimon Peres sought that emotional embrace after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, while Ariel Sharon became one during Operation Defensive Shield, symbolized by the famous image of him carrying a lamb. Benny Gantz, the writer says, became the beloved figure of the anti-Netanyahu “change bloc,” but his support later collapsed from 35 seats to below the electoral threshold.

The focus then turns to Gadi Eisenkot. A recent documentary on the current affairs program “Uvda,” directed by Ben Shani, followed Eisenkot for a year, including car rides, meetings with voters, and interviews with aides and a polling expert. The author initially thought the film was a missed opportunity because Eisenkot said little of substance, but later concluded that viewers responded to his persona: awkward, cuddly, a former army man, a bereaved father, and someone who feels relatable across social groups.

That emotional appeal, the column argues, is now driving Eisenkot’s surge in polls at the expense of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. But it also warns that if Eisenkot becomes the leading candidate in the change bloc, he will face the same cycle that brought down Gantz and Bennett, scrutiny from both right and left, and pressure to answer concrete questions. The writer says the public’s current affection is real, but it is not a guarantee.