Posted on 06/13/2026 3:43:40 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
Former IDF chief says ridicule over his English reflects prejudice against Mizrahi Israelis, asking where Netanyahu’s 'excellent English' was on Oct. 7.
Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle of racism after a senior Netanyahu adviser shared a post mocking Eisenkot’s English, saying the attack reflected panic among the prime minister’s allies...
“It is racist, and I despise them,” the former IDF chief said in an interview with “120 and One,” ynet’s Hebrew-language political podcast...
Eisenkot, who is expected to challenge Netanyahu in the upcoming general election, said he had attended dozens of English-language meetings with Netanyahu during his time as IDF chief of staff. “I don’t remember him ever commenting once on my present perfect,” Eisenkot said.
The post was shared by Jonatan Urich, a close Netanyahu adviser who is facing legal scrutiny over allegations of leaking classified information. Eisenkot called him “a criminal” and “a contemptible person,” adding that he should have “buried himself in a bunker.
“What does it say about Netanyahu, what does it say about Likud, that such a contemptible person is the man everyone there fears and who leads them by the nose?” Eisenkot said.
Eisenkot also mocked Netanyahu’s long-standing political brand as a fluent English speaker and effective advocate for Israel abroad. “Where was Netanyahu’s excellent English on Oct. 7?” - “Did it help us in any way? It helped with nothing. Where is his excellent English in strengthening Israel-U.S. relations, which this morning are at a low point?”
“They are frightened. I see their panic through the channels,” Eisenkot said, referring to pro-Netanyahu media outlets. “On Channel 14, I am dealt with in every slot except the weather. I assume that will happen in the coming days, and I will be blamed for the June-July heat wave.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ynetnews.com ...
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Netanyahu grew up in Philly. My Mom was in his High Scoolm Class. The joke in Israel is that he speaks Hebrew with a Philly accent.
Being Mizrahi Jew, Gadi Eisenkot has more immediate generational ties to the actual land of the Middle East.
Being the former Chief of the IDF, who has lost his son and nephew to the war in Gaza, he deserves basic respect and honor from the current leaders.
Should we assume Hard Left politically?
"Where was Netanyahu's voice on October 7...?"
That one line counter-insult was written by a political consultant - NOT by Eisenkot.
The entire nation of Israel was on high alert for the week before Yom Kippur.
No. Yashar is a new party.
It is center-right.
Eisenkot attacked Netanyahu for racism.
I might believe Center-Left.
Ashkenazi (European) Jews traditionally hold the seats of power whether left wing or right wing — even though Sephardic (Iberian) and Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jews make up more of the population. There are also minorities like Ethiopian Jews etc…
I just posted about Syrian Jews, they’re Mizrahi but not all Mizrahi experiences are alike.
Point is: the dynamics at work both culturally and politically don’t exactly parallel the USA. They’re individual to Israel.
Condi:
Stoking division within conservatism better than any paid Soros troll.
Yes, but as someone said, military men are more likely to try and give away land.
Well insinuating the land thing would be less disrespectful than mocking his English.
Gadi has invited Netanyahu to debate him.
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