TV Panelist Mocks Gadi Eisenkot's Government Mandate

President Isaac Herzog officially tasked Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, with forming a new government on Sunday. Eisenkot now has 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension. Amidst this political development, a discussion on the mandate ceremony took place on Channel 14's program "The Patriots." During the broadcast, panelist Yotam Zimri sharply criticized Eisenkot's potential premiership. Zimri stated, "Eisenkot will be remembered, it doesn't matter to me if he succeeds or not, as the first prime minister of the 'Nokhbut' government." He coined the term "Nokhbut government" as a counter to the prevalent criticism of the current government as a "government of abandonment." This is not the first time Eisenkot has been attacked on the program. Prior to the elections, Zimri referred to Eisenkot as a "monkey" in English, claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump's message was "Vote for Bibi, not the monkey." Zimri and fellow panelist Avishai Ben-Chaim were heard laughing after this remark. This incident marked the second time within 24 hours that Eisenkot was called a "monkey" on Channel 14. The previous day, program host Yinon Magal used the same insult, alleging that Eisenkot was a "monkey" managed by "elitist Ashkenazim." These personal attacks against Eisenkot occurred as he began the crucial task of forming the next government.