Israeli Minister Defends Mocking Immigrant Accent as 'Cute Joke'

During an interview on Radio Tzafon, Chikli adopted an exaggerated accent to mimic Lieberman while criticizing him as a "blabbermouth and a charlatan." Chikli mocked past statements attributed to Lieberman, including promises to eliminate Haniyeh within 48 hours and to take Haredim to the dump, and questioned who would vote for him.

The incident sparked widespread outrage, particularly among Russian-speaking Israelis. Lieberman condemned Chikli's actions on social media as open racism and humiliation based on origin, while Olympic medalist Peter Paltchik called the minister's behavior a shame. MK Oded Forer, head of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction, linked the incident to coalition panic and highlighted the contributions of over a million Russian-speaking citizens, including tens of thousands of soldiers.

Defending his actions on 103FM, Chikli stated he was not sorry at all and argued that the public backlash was artificially inflated. He compared his imitation to other political insults and claimed that public storms are disproportionately directed at him and Channel 14 host Inon Magal.