In seething debate, Piers Morgan, Diaspora Minister Chikli spar over antisemitism claim

A heated dispute erupted this week between Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli and British broadcaster Piers Morgan on the latter’s TV program, which is viewed by millions of people across social media platforms.

After Chikli called Morgan out for “overt antisemitism” in a widely shared post on X earlier this month, Morgan challenged him on it Tuesday night in a fiery interview on his popular program, “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”

Morgan, whose aggressive interviewing style has made his show one of the world’s fiercest battlefields for debating global issues, lambasted Chikli throughout the 15-minute segment, demanding that he back up his accusation with evidence. When he wasn’t satisfied with Chikli’s response, Morgan called him “pathetic” and told him to “grow a pair.”

The saga began on June 4, when Chikli, a member of the Likud party who is known for his strong right-wing views and combative style, posted on X that, while Morgan had seemed to present a “relatively fair and balanced line” earlier in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, there has since been “a sharp and troubling descent into overt antisemitism.”

“Week after week, Piers brings on every Israel hater he can find — conspiracy theorists, entertainers moonlighting as geopolitical analysts — so long as they’re hostile to Israel,” Chikli wrote in an English post seen more than 1.3 million times. “He treats these anti-Israel voices with the utmost respect, while consistently patronizing and belittling anyone who defends Israel.”

Chikli posted a day after an interview in which Morgan lambasted British lawyer and pro-Israel activist Natasha Hausdorff. Sharing a video of Morgan repeatedly cutting her off mid-sentence, Chikli said Morgan addressed her with “vile condescension and bullying arrogance.”

Piers Morgan asks for the truth but refuses to hear it. pic.twitter.com/2LtEgoMJ5h

— Natasha Hausdorff (@HausdorffMedia) June 3, 2025

Chikli noted that US talk show host Tucker Carlson had said several months ago that Morgan admitted off-camera in February to “hating Israel with every fiber of his being.”

“Piers denied it — but it seems he was lying,” Chikli wrote.

Nearly three weeks later, at the tail-end of a 79-minute show focused on Israel’s recent war with Iran, Morgan asked Chikli to justify his statements.

“Where have I been antisemitic?” he began the conversation cordially.

Chikli pointed to recent interviews with controversial influencers Dan Bilzerian and Candace Owens, saying that Morgan shouldn’t have provided a platform for “conspiracy theorist Holocaust deniers.”

“I’m not saying that you’re antisemitic necessarily,” Chikli added.

“Well, you did say that,” Morgan replied.

Continuing on the offensive, Morgan charged that “the allegations that I’m antisemitic only began when I decided to start being more strident in my criticism of what your government is doing in Gaza, which is a criticism shared by many of Israel’s allies.”

Morgan said that after Chikli’s post, he was “bombarded by thousands of people calling me antisemitic and a Jew hater because you decided to fuel that sentiment.” He repeatedly demanded that Chikli provide examples of antisemitic language that he had used, without receiving what he felt was a good answer.

Morgan repeated several times that he thinks there is no problem with criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. He called Chikli’s accusation about enabling Holocaust denial on his show “absolute categorical weapons-grade nonsense.”

The discussion grew more heated after that, as Morgan accused Chikli of making himself out as a victim as Morgan continuously interrupted him.

“You inspire thousands of people on social media to call me Jew-hating, and you have the brass neck to say I’m bullying you,” Morgan said. “Honestly, grow a pair. It’s pathetic.”

Following the show, Chikli doubled down on his attack on Morgan.

In just two weeks:
The Israeli Air Force is dominating Tehran’s airspace
The U.S. bombed the Fordow nuclear site The state of Israel is leading strategic moves, reshaping the Middle East.

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But @piersmorgan asked me to come on his show to talk about one thing- Himself. pic.twitter.com/4mktU0wzkt

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) June 25, 2025

“In just two weeks: The Israeli Air Force is dominating Tehran’s airspace; The U.S. bombed the Fordow nuclear site; The state of Israel is leading strategic moves, reshaping the Middle East,” he posted on X Wednesday. “But @piersmorgan asked me to come on his show to talk about one thing- Himself.”

Piers Morgan gets called anti-semitic by Amichai Chikli, Israels Minister of Diaspora Affairs pic.twitter.com/wwtvHS7oj6

— SilencedSirs◼️ (@SilentlySirs) June 24, 2025

Chikli has frequently attacked media outlets that he considers left-wing. He has often accused the Hebrew daily Haaretz of incitement and causing damage to the country, and has called for the government to close down the public broadcaster Kan.