'He should be ashamed': Liberman condemns Chikli for mocking his Russian accent

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli mocked Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman's Russian accent during a radio interview, prompting Liberman to accuse him of racism against Russian-speaking Israelis. Politicians and an Olympic judoka condemned Chikli, who did not apologize and instead demanded Liberman apologize for calling Netanyahu an idiot.

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli faced accusations of racism after mocking Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman's Russian accent during a Tuesday 104.5FM interview. Liberman condemned the imitation on X/Twitter, accusing Chikli of ridiculing more than a million Russian-speaking Israelis. Chikli imitated Liberman while referencing his past promise to eliminate Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh within 48 hours and disparaged Liberman's suitability for office. Liberman argued the imitation demeaned Russian speakers and criticized the political system and media for silence. He accused Netanyahu and Likud of contempt for Russian-speaking Israelis and called the imitation pure racism. Russian-born MK Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid) released a video calling Chikli a coward and a racist. The Democrats party leader Yair Golan denounced Chikli, saying his contempt toward the Russian-speaking community is contempt toward a public that serves and contributes. Olympic judoka Peter Paltchik criticized Chikli in an Instagram video, urging him to challenge positions rather than accent. Chikli did not apologize; instead, he demanded Liberman apologize for calling Netanyahu an idiot and accused Liberman of being the most corrupt person in Israeli politics. He also criticized Liberman's proposal for Jordanian involvement in the West Bank, which had drawn earlier criticism from Netanyahu, Katz, and Smotrich.