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

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 in posts on X/Twitter, accusing Chikli of ridiculing Russian-speaking Israelis.

Chikli imitated Liberman while referring to his past promise to eliminate Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh within 48 hours. The minister also disparaged Liberman’s suitability for political office.

Liberman argued that the imitation targeted more than a political opponent, saying it demeaned more than a million Russian speakers in Israel.

Liberman condemns mockery of Russian speakers

“Where are the condemnations in the political system? Where is the media?” Liberman asked in his post, criticizing what he described as silence over the incident.

“Yes, I have an accent, and I am not ashamed of it. He is the one who should be ashamed,” he wrote.

Liberman accused Netanyahu and Likud’s leadership of displaying contempt for Russian-speaking Israelis and described the imitation as “pure racism.”

He subsequently posted a video response. Liberman said Chikli owed an apology to the Russian-speaking community rather than to him personally, citing its members’ military service, reserve duty, work, and tax contributions.

Politicians, Israeli Olympian denounce Chikli's apparent racism

Russian-born MK Vladimir Beliak (Yesh Atid) released a video on X denouncing Chikli's apparent racism.

"Hey Chikli, what's up? You're a coward and a racist," Beliak wrote.

The Democrats party leader Yair Golan also denounced Chikli on X.

"The contempt of the Diaspora minister toward the Russian-speaking community is contempt toward a public that chose this country, a public that works, pays taxes, serves, and contributes to the state," Golan wrote.

"In the pathetic attempt to imitate [Liberman], Chikli only exposes his own racist and arrogant face. The violence that Chikli displays starts in the government and seeps down to the streets and the schools," Golan added.

"On October 27, we will replace this toxic leadership and build a leadership that respects all Israeli citizens, and knows how to integrate the Russian-speaking public and the new immigrants into Israeli society," he said.

Olympic judoka Peter Paltchik also criticized Chikli in an Instagram video.

Paltchik said the imitation mocked an accent familiar from his own upbringing and hurt people beyond Liberman. He urged Chikli to challenge his opponent’s positions rather than his accent and called for an apology.

Chikli demands apology for Netanyahu insult

Chikli did not apologize in the supplied response post. Instead, he asked Liberman whether he would apologize for calling Netanyahu an “idiot.”

The minister described the imitation as an effort to reproduce Liberman’s voice and argued that his political criticism was the important part of the interview. He attached the full interview to his post.

Chikli accused Liberman of being “the most corrupt person in Israeli politics” and unfit for public office. The supplied post did not include evidence supporting that accusation.

He also criticized Liberman’s proposal for Jordanian involvement in the West Bank, portraying it as a plan to bring the Jordanian army into the territory.

Jordan proposal sparked earlier dispute

The Jordan proposal referenced by Chikli had already drawn criticism from Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, as previously reported by The Jerusalem Post.

Liberman clarified during that dispute that he sought Jordanian administration of Areas A and B, while Israel would retain full control of Area C. He described the proposed framework as an Israeli-Jordanian confederation.