Professor Attacks Netanyahu Over Condemnation of Channel 14 Host
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for condemning Channel 14 host Yinon Magal's remarks about Gadi Eisenkot. Cohen-Eliya stated Netanyahu's condemnation was unjust and possibly politically motivated by election needs. He defended Magal's comments as sociologically accurate and not racist, suggesting they exposed broader societal issues. Cohen-Eliya believes Magal should not apologize for his statements.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu's condemnation of Yinon Magal's remarks.
- Cohen-Eliya suggested Netanyahu's condemnation was driven by his need to win elections.
- Netanyahu called Magal's statement "a very inappropriate remark."
- Cohen-Eliya defended Magal's comments as sociologically accurate and not racist.
- He argued Magal should not apologize for his remarks about Gadi Eisenkot.
Professor Moshe Cohen-Eliya has directly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for condemning remarks made by Channel 14 host Yinon Magal about Gadi Eisenkot. Cohen-Eliya argued that Netanyahu's condemnation was unwarranted and suggested the Prime Minister's haste was driven by his need to win the upcoming elections.
Netanyahu had previously described Magal's statement as "a very inappropriate remark." However, Cohen-Eliya countered that Magal's words, while potentially controversial, were a sociologically accurate assessment of a problem and that Magal should not apologize. He asserted that Magal did not use the term "monkey" in a racist context regarding Eisenkot's background, but rather to describe someone serving the interests of others.
Cohen-Eliya elaborated that Magal's comments exposed the "manipulative racism of the old hegemony" and were intended to highlight the use of "Mizrahi or knitted embellishments to legitimize the machine for preserving the power centers of the old hegemony." While acknowledging that he personally would not use the word "monkey" due to its sensitive connotations in Israeli discourse, Cohen-Eliya maintained that his personal knowledge of Magal indicated no racist intent. He believes Magal's remarks were sociologically precise and that an apology is unnecessary.
