The news broadcasts last Friday night on the three Israeli TV channels that broadcast over the weekend – Channels 11, 12 and 13 – were indicative of the current crisis over the legal reform/insurrection/revolution, that Israel is currently undergoing.
In normal times, the official visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife to Rome, and the former’s brief meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the early afternoon, several hours before the news broadcasts, would have made the headlines.
But these are anything but normal times, and none of the three channels carried a single item about the visit, though reporters from two of those channels (11 and 13) reported from Rome about the comments of a “senior official” on Netanyahu’s reactions to several of the numerous stormy events that had occurred in Israel and the Middle East since his departure from Israel on Thursday afternoon. Such comments related to the deadlock concerning negotiations between the government and the opposition over the legal crisis, the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, and the unexpected agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reestablish full diplomatic relations.
On that Friday night, Channel 12 did not have a single news item relating to the visit to Rome itself, although it did report from Rome the following evening about deep differences of opinion within the Jewish and Israeli communities in Italy with regards to what is going on in Israel.
Undoubtedly, had Channel 14 decided to make an exception in respect of its policy of not broadcasting on the Sabbath for religious reasons, and to broadcast over the weekend, it would have carried a positive, central item on the Rome visit, with a good deal of fanfare. It is no secret that Channel 14, the only self-declared right-wing TV channel in Israel, which until very recently was a negligible niche channel, is now designated by the current government as an Israeli Fox News.
It is known that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who had originally planned to close down Israel’s public broadcasting corporation, (including Channel 11 and a number of radio stations) was stopped from doing so due to opposition from within the Likud. He now plans to divert at least part of Channel 11’s generous government-financed budget to Channel 14.
Channel 14’s rating, as well as that of its predecessor Channel 20, was always extremely low, but in recent weeks has started to rise, despite the fact that it is still a rather vulgar, unreliable source of news and information – or better or worse, it is still a long way away from turning into anything like Fox News.
One of the reasons for the boost that Channel 14 has enjoyed, is that it has become the preferred channel for appearances by MKs and ministers from the coalition. This is both because they are treated more warmly and their views go unchallenged, unlike on other channels.
In addition, since January, the Prime Minister’s son, Yair Netanyahu has been embroiled in Twitter campaign against MKs and ministers from the right who collaborate with the other channels. He has gone so far as to warn those who allegedly leak information from the prime minister’s office to journalists from Channel 12, that if their identity is uncovered, they should be fired.
The other two commercial channels (12 and 13) and the public channel (11) have already been affected by the proposed reforms. For example, Channel 13 has recently lost its two most prominent right-wing presenters: former MK Sharon Gal, who moved to broadcast news on Channel 14, and Ayala Hasson, who moved to Channel 11 to broadcast a daily current affairs program from 7 to 8 p.m.
On Channel 12, news presenter Danny Cushmaro was caught unawares when he went live during Gideon Oko’s 5 p.m. program on Friday, March 4, to inform the viewers about the subjects to be covered that evening.
When he announced “we have many stories about the legal revolution, and an interesting poll as to what effect the political storm will have... ” Information Minister Galit Distal Atbaryan, who had just ended an interview with Oko, intervened: “Legal reform, not legal revolution; that is what it is called – unless you have chosen a side. We are performing a reform. You have adopted the jargon of the left. Are you an objective journalist?”
“Legal reform, not legal revolution; that is what it is called – unless you have chosen a side. We are performing a reform. You have adopted the jargon of the left. Are you an objective journalist?”
Galit Distal Atbaryan
Cushmaro turned pale, and blurted, “I am an objective journalist.” Is this a first sign of an attempt to censor the free media, or is this merely a foolish woman, who has been given a meaningless job, trying to assert herself?
How is not covering Netanyahu's robe trip related to judicial reform?
But to go back to the news broadcasts of last Friday night: In what way is the fact that the three TV channels barely reported Netanyahu’s visit to Rome, connected to the battle surrounding the legal reform/insurrection/revolution?
First, it is connected because the very limited reporting was, to a certain extent, part of the demonstrations currently taking place around the country to try to stop the flood of problematic legislation that the government seems determined to push through by the time the Knesset begins its spring recess in another two weeks.
Though the trip itself had little to do with the demonstrations, Netanyahu’s decision to be absent from Israel for three days at a critical time, (during which he devoted only one hour to his meeting with his Italian counterpart) and his subsequent decision not to return to Israel as soon as he was informed about the terrorist attack in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening, caused a considerable amount of rage among the demonstrators.
In fact, El Al’s difficulty in finding a pilot who was willing to fly the prime minister and his wife to Rome, was connected to the pilots’ active support of the demonstrations. Indeed, part of the demonstrations last Thursday included efforts to block the entrances to Ben-Gurion Airport so that the flight would at least be delayed, if not prevented from taking off altogether.
The expensive arrangements for the 60-person entourage that accompanied the Netanyahus to Rome, which included the €2,000 per night hotel suite and their 32nd wedding anniversary celebrations, all at the state’s expense, only added to the rage.
It is particularly galling since Netanyahu should be assuming the role of responsible adult at this difficult time. Within a very short time, he will have to take some far-reaching decisions which will determine the future of Israel and his government, as well as his own personal fate. The weekend in Rome, a planned trip to Berlin this week, and another to London the week after, all seem to be irritating red-herrings.
The writer worked in the Knesset for many years as a researcher, and has published extensively both journalistic and academic articles on current affairs and Israeli politics. Her most recent book Israel’s Knesset Members – A Comparative Study of an Undefined Job, was published by Routledge.