Gal Gadot Appears in Election Special as Israeli Votes Remain Unclear

Israeli actress Gal Gadot made a guest appearance on the satirical program Eretz Nehederet on Tuesday night. The special aired on Channel 12 while the country waited for official results from the general election. The broadcast was divided into two distinct segments.

The first segment aired before voting closed. The second segment began after exit polls released, which showed no clear winner for either major political side. In one sketch, the character Asher, played by Yuval Semo, picked up Gadot in his taxi. He asked if she had returned from abroad to vote or to appear on a singing competition. Gadot confirmed she had come specifically to vote.

Gadot stated she had lived outside Israel for nearly 12 years. When the driver asked for her voting choice, she whispered the answer, and the audio was bleeped out. She quoted the historical figure Hillel the Elder, saying, "If not now, when?" She also discussed the experience of being Jewish and Israeli in Hollywood during a period of rising antisemitism. "It's hard these days to be an Israeli abroad," she said. She noted that she often wore a mask when going out in public.

The actress explained that she tried to provide context to Americans about the situation. She observed that the view from the United States differs from the view in Israel. Gadot said she planned to move back to Israel with her husband and their four daughters. The family is currently building a house in the country. The sketch concluded with Gadot taking the driver's seat and turning the taxi into a flying vehicle.

Other sketches in the first half depicted political rivals as professional wrestlers. Former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot held a sawed-off shotgun. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a gold suitcase of cash, a reference to Qatari funds sent to Hamas. Netanyahu also held a toy mushroom cloud, mocking an AI image he released during the campaign. The show also teased Naftali Bennett for missing his chance to vote during a focus group meeting.

The second segment addressed the uncertainty of the election results. Writers created sketches about leaders trying to reverse promises regarding coalition partners. Avigdor Liberman, Eisenkot, and Bennett appeared as contestants on a game show. Members of the People of Israel Party expressed disappointment at missing the Knesset threshold. One sketch showed former prime ministers Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, and Ariel Sharon confused by AI commercials.

The broadcast ended with host Eyal Kitzis skipping his usual closing line. Instead of declaring Israel a wonderful country, he handed the program directly to Channel 12 news anchor Yonit Levi.