Ben-Gvir says calling Magal's remark racist is a complete distortion
Itamar Ben-GvirIsraeli national security minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman, in a post on X
Ben-Gvir writes on X that Magal used the word monkey in a political sense, for a straw candidate run by others, and that calling it a racist statement against Mizrahim distorts what was said.
Responding to
Magal called Eisenkot a monkey as an underworld expression for a front man controlled by others, not as a racial insult.
“It is clear to everyone that Yinon used the expression "monkey" in a political context, when what he meant, in his words, was a straw candidate run by others. Going from there to turning his words into a racist statement against Mizrahim is a complete distortion of what was said (Translated from Hebrew. Original: לכולם ברור שינון השתמש בביטוי "קוף" בהקשר פוליטי, כשהכוונה לדבריו הייתה למועמד קש שמריצים אחרים. מכאן ועד להפוך את הדברים לאמירה גזענית נגד מזרחים - הוא סילוף מוחלט של הדברים)”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Channel 14 host Yinon Magal calls Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey"; Netanyahu condemns the remark but says Likud voters are insulted every day
On the Channel 14 program "The Patriots" on October 17, 2026, host Yinon Magal repeatedly called Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot a "monkey" and said Ashkenazi elites stood behind him and ran him. Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff of Moroccan heritage, is Benjamin Netanyahu's main challenger in the October 27 election. Yashar and other critics called the remark racist. Magal said he had used the word as an underworld expression for a front man controlled by others and called the controversy fake. Netanyahu condemned the remark the next day but said Likud voters face insults every day, and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said the remark was not racist.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Hebrew post by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir responding to the criticism of Yinon Magal's remark about Gadi Eisenkot.
Before the quotation
Ben-Gvir writes that he has known Magal for years, that trying to paint him as a racist is laughable, and that Magal was among the first to give him airtime when others would not. He says he is a proud Mizrahi.
After the quotation
Ben-Gvir says the same is being attempted against Netanyahu, who he says never treated him or anyone else differently because of ethnic background, and tells Magal not to let the noise silence him.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Magal's on-air remark calling Gadi Eisenkot a monkey run by Ashkenazi elites, which critics called a racist slur. Ben-Gvir says the word was used in a political sense and that treating it as racist distorts it, which defends the remark.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseNetanyahu calls Magal's remark highly inappropriate and condemns it
“That is a highly inappropriate remark, and I condemn it (Translated from Hebrew. Original: זו אמירה מאוד לא ראויה, אני מגנה אותה)”Read statement
Eisenkot says the voice is Magal's and the hands are Netanyahu's
“Last week he talked about bereaved families. The voice is Yinon's voice and the hands are Netanyahu's hands (Translated from Hebrew. Original: שבוע שעבר הוא דיבר על משפחות שכולות. הקול קול ינון והידיים ידי נתניהו)”Read statement
Magal calls the uproar over his remark a fake controversy
“My response to another fake "Yinon Magal controversy" (Translated from Hebrew. Original: תגובתי לעוד פייק "סערת ינון מגל")”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Ben-Gvir says calling Magal's remark racist is a complete distortion
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/6438-ben-gvir-writes-on-x-that-magal-used
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Ben-Gvir says calling Magal's remark racist is a complete distortion". First published: 2026-10-21. Last updated: 2026-10-21. https://disputeindex.com/events/6438-ben-gvir-writes-on-x-that-magal-used