Gadi Eizenkot Meets Senior Kaplan Protest Leader Yossi Kutschik Amid Political Alignments

Gadi Eizenkot, former IDF Chief of Staff, recently met with Yossi Kutschik, a prominent figure in the Kaplan protest movement and a longtime associate of Ehud Barak. Kutschik, known for his clear left-wing stance, served as CEO of the Prime Minister's Office during Barak's tenure and was a key member of the Kaplan protest's steering committee alongside other notable activists. He also holds leadership roles in the Israeli Democracy Institute and the advisory board of the Wexner Foundation.

Eizenkot and Kutschik share a longstanding relationship dating back to when Eizenkot was Barak's military secretary and Kutschik was the Prime Minister's Office CEO. After Eizenkot retired as Chief of Staff, his first business role was on the board of Tzur Shamir Holdings, chaired by Kutschik. Currently, Kutschik runs a management and consulting firm.

Despite Eizenkot's efforts to distance himself from a left-wing image, his circle of supporters and donors includes figures associated with the left, such as Eyal Waldman, Yossi Benkel, Alfred Akirov, Shmuel Harlap, and Frank Louis, some of whom also supported Ehud Barak. The party 'Yashar!' clarified that while Eizenkot and Kutschik have a long acquaintance, Kutschik does not advise the party's campaign, is not part of its advisory circle, and has never been present at its offices, denying any connection between Kutschik and the party's election campaign.