Media Personality Eliraz Sade Defends Yinon Magal's 'Monkey' Remark

Media personality Eliraz Sade dedicated his column on i24 News to the controversy surrounding Yinon Magal's remarks about Gadi Eisenkot. Magal, during the broadcast of "The Patriots," referred to Eisenkot, the leader of the Yishai! party, as a "monkey" controlled by "elitist Ashkenazi" individuals, specifically naming Menelis as a manager. Sade explored the dual interpretation of Magal's comment, suggesting it could be seen as either racist or criminal slang for a person used as a front for others' activities. He stated his belief that Magal intended the criminal connotation but noted that such language can still be offensive. Sade drew a parallel to a previous statement by Sara Netanyahu, who used the term "baboons," arguing that even without racist intent, the choice of words can be harmful. He questioned why only politicians of Mizrahi descent are described as being manipulated by others, posing rhetorical questions such as "Is Netanyahu a monkey for Mizrahim?" or "Is Yinon Magal a monkey for Netanyahu?" Sade also commented on the past representation of Mizrahim on "The Patriots," noting that the number of Mizrahi participants was limited until Avishai Ben Haim joined. Sade concluded by clarifying that his criticism is not about the existence of prejudice but about the uncontrolled use of potentially damaging language, comparing it to an "automatic weapon" that fires and hits its target, or when "the monkey escapes," implying an uncontrolled outburst.