Netanyahu Condemns Channel 14 Host's 'Monkey' Remark About Rival
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned remarks by Channel 14 personality Yinon Magal who called Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey." Eisenkot called Magal "despicable" and accused Netanyahu of hiding Mizrahi Jews in his party. Yisrael Beiteinu officials also denounced Magal's comments, with party chairman Avigdor Lieberman accusing Netanyahu's office of racist language. The controversy highlights ongoing tensions and accusations of racism in Israeli political discourse.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned Yinon Magal's "monkey" insult directed at Gadi Eisenkot.
- Gadi Eisenkot called Yinon Magal "despicable" and accused Netanyahu of hiding Mizrahi Jews.
- Netanyahu stated he hears "contempt" for Likud voters daily, likening them to apes.
- Yisrael Beiteinu officials denounced Magal's remarks as racist and shameful.
- Avigdor Lieberman accused Netanyahu's spokesperson of using similar racist language.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned remarks made by Channel 14 personality Yinon Magal, who called Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, a "monkey." Netanyahu stated, "This is a very inappropriate statement, yes, I condemn it." He added that he would be pleased if Eisenkot also condemned statements made by others, such as Galia Albin, who allegedly referred to Likud supporters as "chimpanzees" and "baboons." Netanyahu asserted that while Magal's comment was unacceptable, he hears such "condescension, patronizing, and contempt" directed at Likud voters almost daily, describing them with terms like "baboons, chimpanzees, and apes."
In response, Gadi Eisenkot called Magal a "despicable person" and accused Netanyahu of hiding Mizrahi (Eastern) Jews within his party. Eisenkot stated, "Yinon Magal is a despicable person. It's a delusional statement that I am a Moroccan monkey; no one asked me about my parents' origin, he is a despicable person." He also linked Magal's remarks to Netanyahu, saying, "The voice is Yinon's voice, but the hands are Netanyahu's hands. This has no place in Israeli discourse; Benjamin Netanyahu is hiding the Mizrahim in his party."
The Yisrael Beiteinu party also condemned Magal's remarks. Yoram Cohen, a former Shin Bet chief and the party's number two, declared, "I am proud to be a Jew, Mizrahi, Israeli, and not a racist." Party candidate Inbar Harush Giti added, "If Gadi Eisenkot is a monkey to you, then so are all Mizrahim in Israel. Shame on you."
Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, criticized the remarks, calling Magal "Netanyahu's chief mouthpiece." He further alleged that "Ziv Agmon, Netanyahu's spokesperson, called Moroccans 'baboons.' When the spokesperson and the mouthpiece speak in the same racist language, it is clear what the spirit of things is in the Prime Minister's office."
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