Naor Zion Criticizes Netanyahu and Announces Support for Gadi Eisenkot

Actor and director Naor Zion, known for his documentary work on Ofira Assayag and Adva Dadon, has expressed his strong disapproval of a Likud party propaganda video that sparked widespread outrage in Israel.

Recall that in an AI-generated video distributed on social media, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is seen running toward a young Israeli calling for unity, only to pass him by and embrace Ra'am party chairman MK Mansour Abbas. The video was captioned: "Gadi, this is not honest."

Many social media users pointed out that the young man in the footage resembles Gal Meir Eisenkot, the former Chief of Staff's son who fell in battle in the Gaza Strip in December 2023.

Naor Zion sharply attacked the Likud party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:

"I want to address this terrible, awful, and shameful video. The whole network was in an uproar. I thought they would take it down, but they continue to claim they didn't mean it that way. Whoever made this will pay a heavy karmic price. I have sat in editing rooms; there is no sane person who wouldn't understand how this would be interpreted. It is the most disgusting propaganda video made in a democratic country in decades. It crossed every line."

During his remarks, the actor revealed for the first time that he intends to support Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the 'Yashar' party, in the upcoming elections.

"I have never declared my political intentions. But in these elections, I am voting only for Gadi Eisenkot," Zion emphasized. According to him, Eisenkot's rise in the polls is tied to the values he represents: "Amidst corruption and political filth, a person like Gadi Eisenkot appears, who has paid a heavy personal price. This isn't about right or left; it's about values."

Zion also criticized the Prime Minister for his conduct following October 7: "During the most difficult time, he let his son stay in Miami, while Eisenkot's son was fighting and dying in Gaza. How can you make such a video, as a father who hasn't lost a son, against someone who has?"

In closing, Naor Zion addressed Benjamin Netanyahu directly:

"Mr. Netanyahu, if after October 7 you had declared that you would not allow draft dodging from either the ultra-Orthodox or secular sectors, you would have received massive support. If you had insisted on forming an investigative committee into the disaster, you would have gained immense trust. You would have gained it if you had come to the hostages' families and hugged them before Biden did."