Scandal on Israeli TV over Russian language gets sequel

The scandal surrounding a promotional video for the reality show "Four Weddings" on Channel 11 has escalated. Contestant Dolev Cohen expressed aversion to Russian and Amharic speech, sparking outrage. Politician Avigdor Lieberman and Knesset members demanded a response. The channel apologized and removed the clip.

The scandal surrounding a promotional video for the new season of the reality show "Four Weddings" on the state-owned Channel 11 has escalated. The trigger was comments by contestant Dolev Cohen, who expressed aversion to Russian and Amharic speech in public places. The clip sparked a wave of outrage on social media. Dancer Anna Aronov called it racism. Politician Avigdor Lieberman strongly condemned the channel for airing such statements during prime time. Knesset members Vladimir Beliak and Evgeny Sova demanded a response from the corporation's management. Sova sent an official appeal to Channel 11's director general Golan Yochpaz demanding the removal of the clip. Channel representatives explained that it is a humorous project and the excerpt was taken out of context. Later, the "Kan" corporation apologized and removed the clip from all social media pages. Sova stated that freedom of speech cannot serve as a justification for racism.