Netanyahu Condemns Racist Remarks by Yinon Magal

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday condemned remarks made by Yinon Magal, who on Saturday night called Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar" party, a "Mizrahi monkey with elitist Ashkenazim behind him." Speaking on Radio Tzafon 104.5fm, Netanyahu stated, "This is a very inappropriate statement, I condemn it." He added that he would be pleased if Eisenkot also condemned statements by Galia Elbin and others who called Likud voters "chimpanzees and baboons."

Netanyahu asserted that the discourse of contempt towards Likud voters, who are frequently called "monkeys, baboons, and chimpanzees," is not a one-time occurrence but a daily phenomenon. He noted that Magal's statement, made during his Channel 14 program "HaPatriotim," was inappropriate, but claimed that the daily insults directed at Likud voters are far more pervasive.

During the program, Magal accused Eisenkot of being a political puppet, stating, "You put in a monkey, and behind him all the elitist Ashkenazim are running him." He then reiterated, "He is a monkey. His name is Mizrahi, Moroccan, as if we don't see the reality."

Eisenkot dismissed the remarks, pointing to Netanyahu and stating, "Yinon Magal said I am a monkey because I am Mizrahi? I have nothing to say to this low-level person. The problem is not him, but the man standing behind him."

The "Yashar" party issued a sharp response, comparing Magal's comments to Dudu Topaz's infamous "Chachachim speech" from 45 years ago. The party stated, "45 years later, Netanyahu's senior mouthpiece, who makes a living spreading lies and poison, calls a candidate for prime minister and a chief of staff who served the country for 45 years a 'monkey,' just because he is Mizrahi." The party added that the "fear of losing reveals your ugly truth and your contempt for a huge and amazing public that you have been looking down on for decades. The hysteria is clear - in 10 days, "Yashar" will elect to the premiership a son of immigrants from Morocco, a Golanchik and a true patriot who grew up in the periphery, who will fix all the damage Netanyahu's government has done here."

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid also commented, calling Magal "Netanyahu's man" and accusing him of racism. Lapid recalled that Magal had previously insulted bereaved families and the families of hostages who wrote a protest book against Netanyahu, calling them "abominable" and "the vilest people in the country." Lapid criticized Netanyahu and Likud ministers and lawmakers for their silence and pledged to form a "good and honest government" to cleanse Israel of "poison."

Earlier in the month, Magal targeted bereaved families and relatives of hostages on his radio show with Ben Caspit, criticizing them for writing the protest book "Mr. Abandonment." He also targeted the Bibas family, claiming they were not abandoned and should apologize to the Prime Minister for "false accusations."