The character's cultural impact was enhanced when she became popular among viewers, as she " the whole Israeli security establishment, if not Israeli society in general" for the audience. Rabbi Gertel and Harvard preceptor Eitan Kensky agreed that Ziva affected viewers' opinions of Israel, with the latter stating that she helped to increase understanding of Israeli culture. "Slate" magazine's June Thomas wrote that Ziva is particularly appealing to conservative Americans: "David represents those aspects of the Israeli character that most appeal to middle America: She's disciplined, self-reliant, good with guns, and skilled in hand-to-hand combat." The character has also been compared to the heroines of early kibbutz dramas, as well as prominent Israeli politicians in the way she interacts with her American colleagues. Steven L. Spiegel, Director of the Center for Middle East Development and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), likened her to Israeli president Shimon Peres and prime ministers Ehud Olmert and Yitzhak Rabin while Honig satirically remarked that she would make a better prime minister than Yesh Atid candidate, Yair Lapid.