Gadot's cab ride: Israel's election night special airs as results stay murky

Israelis facing an inconclusive election result received a dose of satire on Tuesday night when Channel 12 aired a two-part special of Eretz Nehederet. The broadcast was divided into two segments, with the first airing before the polls closed and the second following exit polls that failed to provide a clear mandate for either side.

The program began by portraying the political contest as a professional wrestling match. Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party and former chief of staff, was depicted wielding a sawed-off shotgun. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was shown holding a gold suitcase filled with cash, a reference to funds transferred to Hamas in Gaza with government approval. Another sketch had Netanyahu holding a toy mushroom to mock an AI image from late in the campaign that showed Tel Aviv destroyed by an Iranian nuclear bomb.

The special also featured a sketch with former prime ministers Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, and Ariel Sharon, who were shown confused by AI commercials. Naftali Bennett, head of the B'Yachad Party, was teased for his focus on informal groups of older citizens, which caused him to miss his chance to vote. Eisenkot was shown awkwardly courting young voters alongside an influencer.

Hollywood star Gal Gadot appeared in the first half, playing a passenger in a cab driven by the character Asher, played by Yuval Semo. The sketch referenced the more than 70,000 Israelis who returned from abroad to vote. Gadot noted she had lived abroad for nearly 12 years and whispered her party choice to the driver, with the name bleeped out when he tried to announce it over a megaphone. She cited the sage Hillel the Elder, saying, "If not now, when?"

Gadot discussed the challenges of being an Israeli and Jewish in Hollywood amid rising antisemitism. "It's hard these days to be an Israeli abroad," she said, adding that she often wore a mask when going out. She stated she planned to return to Israel with her husband and four daughters, three of whom were born in the US, and that the family was building a house there. The sketch ended with her taking the wheel, citing her role in Fast & Furious, and turning the cab into a flying car.

The second part of the special addressed the uncertainty of the final tallies. Writers cast Eisenkot, Bennett, and Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beytenu as game show contestants attempting to walk back promises not to work with Arab or ultra-Orthodox parties. Ofer Winter and Yoseph Haddad of the People of Israel Party appeared upset that their party had missed the Knesset threshold. Haddad remarked that he seemed to be the only Arab not elected, pointing to the stronger-than-expected performance of Arab parties.

The broadcast concluded with a departure from tradition. Host Eyal Kitzis did not deliver his usual line about Israel being a wonderful country. Instead, he handed the show back to Channel 12 news anchor Yonit Levi.