“Heartbreaking Resemblance”: Haredi Journalist Blasts Likud’s AI Video for Evoking Fallen Son of Gadi Eisenkot | WATCH
Haredi journalist Yishai Cohen sharply criticizes a Likud AI campaign video, saying one figure strongly resembles Gal Eisenkot HY'D, the late son of opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot. “There must be boundaries,” he warns.
Prominent Haredi journalist Yishai Cohenhas sharply criticized a Likud campaign video generated with artificial intelligence, claiming one of the figures in it bears a striking resemblance to Gal Eisenkot z"l, the late son of opposition leader and former IDF Chief of Staff MK Gadi Eisenkot.
In a widely shared post on X, Cohen described a scene in the video in which Eisenkot is shown running with open arms toward a young man in a symbolic field representing Israeli unity. At the last moment, Eisenkot turns away and runs toward Ra’am leader MK Mansour Abbas instead.
Cohen wrote:
“Gadi Eisenkot in the Likud’s AI video runs with open arms toward a young voter who represents the unity of Israel in an imaginary field. At the last moment he turns his back and runs to Mansour Abbas. It’s hard not to feel a pang in the heart from the first thought that comes to mind, and hard not to wonder what leads to creating and approving such content. There must be boundaries.”
Gal Eisenkot was killed in combat in Gaza in December 2023, along with a nephew. The personal loss has been a central part of Gadi Eisenkot’s public image as he leads the Yashar party and challenges Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
The Likud has made heavy use of AI-generated videos in its current campaign, frequently depicting Eisenkot and other opposition figures in alliances with Arab politicians to warn against a left-wing government. Similar clips have drawn complaints of manipulation from Eisenkot’s camp, including formal petitions to the Central Elections Committee.
Cohen’s criticism is notable as it comes from a Haredi media figure not aligned with the anti-Netanyahu bloc, highlighting broader unease over the tone and sensitivity of political advertising involving bereaved families.
As of now, the Likud has not publicly responded to Cohen’s remarks.
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