The "Baboon" Recordings: Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff Caught in Racist Tirade

A political earthquake has erupted in Israel following the exposure of a series of highly inflammatory and racist recordings featuring Ziv Agmon, the acting Chief of Staff and spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The tapes, which were revealed in a special broadcast, capture Agmon using derogatory terms toward members of his own Likud party and citizens of Middle Eastern descent, as well as making explosive claims regarding the events leading up to the October 7 massacre. The fallout has been immediate, with leaders from across the political spectrum, including within the ruling coalition, demanding Agmon’s immediate termination.

Racist Slurs and October 7 Allegations

In the recordings, Agmon is heard referring to Likud Members of Parliament as "baboons" and "miserable Moroccans from Africa," even stating that the party's candidate list should include "rapists and murderers." Beyond the personal insults, Agmon made a chilling suggestion regarding the intelligence failure of October 7, claiming that "the Egyptians should publish the recording of the conversation with Bibi, he is finished." This remark has been seized upon by opposition leaders like Yair Lapid and Yair Golan as evidence that Netanyahu may have received a direct warning from Egyptian intelligence about an impending attack from Gaza and chose to ignore it. The Prime Minister’s Office has faced intense pressure to address whether such a recording exists and why a senior staff member would believe it to be a career-ending secret.

The scandal also touches on the Netanyahu family, with Agmon claiming that the Prime Minister's son, Yair, forced the Foreign Ministry to issue him a diplomatic passport. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen denied these specific claims, but the recordings have reinforced a narrative of a "rotten and corrupt culture" within the Prime Minister's inner circle. Former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot remarked that the tapes are a "sad window into a broken culture" that has lost touch with the people it serves. As the Samaria Council and Likud MKs like Nissim Vaturi and Eliyahu Revivo express their outrage, the pressure on Netanyahu to fire Agmon has become an existential crisis for the administration, with coalition partners like Aryeh Deri warning that the Prime Minister’s silence will leave an "unwashable stain" on his leadership.