Dana Varon Says Gadi Eisenkot Is Not Really Right-Wing

In a monologue on the morning show "HaMoadit HaBoker," commentator Dana Varon argued that former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot may describe himself as centrist, but voters judge him by his allies, donors, and coalition partners. She said the public does not buy branding and looks instead at the full political picture.

Varon said it is strange to market Eisenkot as right-wing when, in her view, he is associated with Yair Golan and depends on Mansour Abbas to form a government. She added that his repeated messages are seen by the public as another step toward a Palestinian state.

According to Varon, the fact that people from the left are enthusiastic about Eisenkot is itself revealing. She mentioned Yossi Benkel, whom she said contributes money to him, arguing that people invest in someone who represents their worldview, not someone fighting it.

She concluded that the issue is not "center" but direction, saying that the partners, supporters, donors, and positions all point the same way. Eisenkot can call it center, advisers can call it statesmanship, and pundits can call it responsibility, but, she said, the public sees the complete picture and understands that he is not right-wing.