Channel 14 Commentator Repeats 'Monkey' Slur Against Politician
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Channel 14 commentator Yotam Zimri again referred to Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot as a "monkey" on Tuesday, following a similar slur by host Yinon Magal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the remarks, but Zimri repeated the insult, referencing Donald Trump's support for Netanyahu. The Yashar Party projected a video outside Channel 14's offices questioning the slur, while opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized the station's host.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Channel 14 commentator Yotam Zimri called Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey" on Tuesday.
- The slur was repeated a day after host Yinon Magal made a similar offensive remark about Eisenkot.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the initial comment as "very inappropriate."
- The Yashar Party projected a video outside Channel 14's building asking who was called a monkey.
- Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Yinon Magal of targeting Eisenkot's Moroccan-Mizrahi heritage.
A commentator on Israel's Channel 14, Yotam Zimri, referred to the chairman of the Yashar Party as a "monkey" on Tuesday, the second such incident in two days involving the station. Zimri made the remark in English, sarcastically referencing former U.S. President Donald Trump's endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating, "Trump said choose Bibi, not the monkey." This follows a controversy on Monday when another Channel 14 host, Yinon Magal, called Gadi Eisenkot, the Yashar Party chairman, a "monkey" and made disparaging remarks about Ashkenazi people and Eisenkot's Moroccan heritage.
Despite Prime Minister Netanyahu condemning Magal's remarks on Tuesday, Zimri repeated the slur on air. The Yashar Party responded by projecting a video on a truck outside Channel 14's building asking, "Yinon Magal, who did you call a monkey?".
Eisenkot himself addressed Magal's earlier comments, stating, "The problem is not Yinon Magal but the person standing behind Yinon Magal." He added that his party would bring change to Israel and remove phenomena like "Magalism and Bardugism." Opposition leader Yair Lapid also criticized Magal, calling him "Netanyahu's man" and accusing him of calling Eisenkot a "monkey" specifically because of his Moroccan-Mizrahi background.
Prime Minister Netanyahu had previously stated in a radio interview that Magal's comment was "very inappropriate" and condemned it. He also suggested that Eisenkot should condemn remarks made by others against Likud members, comparing them to "chimpanzees" and "baboons."
Mentioned
