Yinon Magal Slams Gadi Eisenkot, Sparks Outrage and Political Debate
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Channel 14 host Yinon Magal sparked outrage with derogatory comments about candidate Gadi Eisenkot, calling him a "monkey" controlled by "elitist Ashkenazim." Magal later claimed his words were misinterpreted and part of an election-driven "fake storm." Eisenkot and the "Yashar!" party condemned the remarks, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also calling them "very inappropriate."
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Channel 14 host Yinon Magal called candidate Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey" controlled by "elitist Ashkenazim."
- Magal accused "Israel Hayom" of creating a "fake storm" to falsely label his comments as racist.
- Eisenkot condemned Magal's remarks as "substandard" and criticized the "Magalism and Bardugism phenomenon."
- The "Yashar!" party compared Magal's comments to past offensive remarks against Mizrahi Jews.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Magal's statements as "very inappropriate."
Channel 14 host Yinon Magal ignited a firestorm on Saturday night during his program "HaPatriotim" with harsh remarks directed at Gadi Eisenkot, a candidate for prime minister. Magal referred to Eisenkot as a "monkey" controlled by "elitist Ashkenazim" and suggested that Eisenkot's Moroccan heritage was being used to mislead voters. These comments quickly generated significant backlash online and in Israeli news outlets.
In response to the controversy, Magal took to his X account, accusing "Israel Hayom" newspaper of fabricating a "fake storm" to portray his words as racist and lure Mizrahi voters to the left. He asserted that his true meaning was misunderstood and that the newspaper's actions revealed their contempt for Mizrahi people.
Magal later clarified his remarks, stating that his use of the word "monkey" was not related to Eisenkot's appearance but rather described someone placed on the front lines while others operate from behind. He reiterated his belief that the ensuing controversy was an artificial "fake storm" orchestrated ahead of the elections.
Eisenkot himself condemned Magal's statements, dismissing them as "substandard" and criticizing the "Magalism and Bardugism phenomenon" he believes is harmful to Israel. The "Yashar!" party issued a strong condemnation, comparing Magal's comments to past offensive remarks and accusing him of exploiting fear of electoral defeat to reveal "ugly truth" and disrespect an entire segment of the population.
On Sunday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also denounced Magal's remarks as "very inappropriate." Netanyahu also called for condemnation of similar statements made by others, referencing alleged insults against Likud members as "chimpanzees."
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