Netanyahu Condemns 'Monkey' Remark About Eisenkot, Cites 'Daily Contempt' for Likud Voters

By דביר ג'ברה, איתי גל-און, דביר ג'ברה, איתי גל-און

Translated & summarized from N12 by baba

CenterCharged tone

Hebrew · 2 newsrooms covering

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned remarks by Yinon Magal, who called Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey," labeling the statement "very inappropriate." Netanyahu also called for Eisenkot to condemn similar remarks against Likud voters. Eisenkot, in turn, called Magal "despicable" and accused Netanyahu of hiding Mizrahi individuals within his party. The controversy escalated with accusations of racism and ethnic slurs directed at both Eisenkot and Likud voters, drawing criticism from other political figures.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Prime Minister Netanyahu condemned Yinon Magal's "monkey" remark about Gadi Eisenkot as "very inappropriate."
Netanyahu called for Eisenkot to condemn alleged "chimpanzee" and "baboon" remarks made about Likud voters.
Gadi Eisenkot called Yinon Magal "despicable" and accused Netanyahu of hiding Mizrahim in his party.
Magal had referred to Eisenkot as a "Moroccan Mizrahi monkey" and implied he was controlled by Ashkenazim.
Yisrael Beiteinu party members and leader Avigdor Lieberman condemned the remarks as racist and ethnic slurs.
Former Netanyahu spokesperson Ziv Agmon criticized the double standard regarding racist comments.

Netanyahu Condemns 'Monkey' Remark About Eisenkot, Cites 'Daily Contempt' for Likud Voters — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned remarks made by Channel 14 personality Yinon Magal, who called Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, a "monkey." Netanyahu stated, "I condemn it. It is a very inappropriate statement." He added that he would be pleased if Eisenkot would, in turn, condemn statements by Galia Albin and others who have referred to Likud voters as "chimpanzees" and "baboons." Netanyahu asserted that while Magal's comment was inappropriate, the "condescension, patronizing attitude, and contempt" directed at Likud voters, calling them "baboons, chimpanzees, and apes," is a daily occurrence and "almost entirely directed at Likud voters."

Magal had said of Eisenkot, "He is a monkey. Behind him are all the elitist Ashkenazim running him. He is a monkey, his name is Mizrahi Moroccan, let him be a Moroccan prime minister. It's like we don't see reality." Eisenkot responded at a "Future for the Gaza Envelope" conference, calling Magal "despicable" and his remark "delusional." Eisenkot also stated, "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."

Members of the Yisrael Beiteinu party also condemned Magal's remarks. Yoram Cohen, former head of the Shin Bet and number two on the party's list, 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."

Knesset Member Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beiteinu, commented that Magal, "Netanyahu's chief mouthpiece," called Eisenkot a "Moroccan monkey," and that Ziv Agmon, "Netanyahu's spokesperson," previously called Moroccans "baboons." Lieberman concluded, "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."

Ziv Agmon, a former spokesperson for Netanyahu, who was previously reported to have made racist remarks against Mizrahim, posted on Sunday that it's suddenly acceptable to call someone a "Moroccan monkey" and that private messages are now a red line. Agmon, who apologized and resigned after his private messages were exposed, stated that those who attacked him then are now acting similarly, but their actions are "seven times worse." He added that he would not stoop to their level and wished them no ill will, but questioned what they would do next.