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Gideon Levy attacks: "The choir 'Rak La Bibi' is jarring in my ear"

The Zionist left is hypocritical, colleagues on Twitter are working to be witty instead of doing journalism and the right-wing journalist even deserves a prize.

And what exactly is the difference between him and the Zipper sons?

Gideon Levy sat down on the couch of the "Tik-Talk" podcast, and explained why he is not Tehran after all

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• Gideon Levy

David Wertheim

Thursday, 25 February 2021, 00:27

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Welcome to Tik-Talk, the new podcast of the Israel Institute of Journalism and Communication.

Our attempt to provide translation, explanation and context for the deep and sometimes hidden processes that the Israeli media goes through.

In each episode, senior figures from the world of media are hosted as part of the activities of the Institute for Strengthening the Freedom of the Press in Israel.

And this time - with Haaretz journalist Gideon Levy.

Let's start with the recent decision in The Hague - in fact, the enterprise of your life has won.

"No no, the enterprise of my life lost Big Time, but I had a moment of joy and satisfaction and even a little hope. There could be a situation where this Israeli arrogance that we are allowed to do what we want and no one will pay for it, this arrogance is cracking now. Start sweating and start thinking twice before bombing refugee camps in Gaza that their personal destiny might be harmed, because they might not have been able to go shopping in London or the Opera in Milan. And that's the only way you have to understand, Israelis will not wake up one morning and say ' "They will bring it to an end only if they pay a price for it and then they will ask themselves 'is it worth it for us to be in Yitzhar - or not worth it to us'."

But until then, the public is not interested.

The Arab question has decided elections in the past.

Today it is not even at the bottom of the substrate.

"You know, people come here from abroad and just do not believe how much the subject that most defines us, the subject that most shapes our portrait is not condemned at all anymore.

And here the Israeli media has a criminal responsibility - and it includes almost all media - of pushing the issue, of removing it from the agenda, of endless propaganda and endless mobilization so as not to bother readers and listeners and viewers.

They do not want to know - let's not bother them. "

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"The media has a criminal responsibility."

Gideon Levy (Photo: screenshot, PR)

"Protest in Balfour is hollow and childish"

In recent weeks, a kind of war has been raging in your newspaper, when you confronted several journalists who wrote about the transparent children of the education system in Corona.

You called it the "Turtle Crisis."

Why is it so hard to accept that there are other adversities that can be talked about besides the occupation.

This is called purity.

"I did not react until now, because in Uri Misgav's article there were really heaps of all sorts of things, some of which have no basis. He wrote that I mocked the previous social protest, which is a lie because I was the flesh and blood of this protest. But the protest in Balfour is completely hollow and childish. It's awfully nice. It's inflating submarines and waving black flags. But you have nothing to say. You have nothing to offer. Ask all the Misgavim what will happen after Netanyahu is gone. "They will stutter. It is a hollow camp that only hatred of Netanyahu drives, and for me it is not enough. For me, this is not a political action plan.

" I think the real choice today is between the Likud and the common.

Everything else is stuttering and costume parties.

The Zionist left went bankrupt.

He wants both and and offers no and no.

He thinks that it is possible to be both Jewish and democratic, and it is impossible - you have to choose either Jewish and democratic.

He thinks it is possible to be both conquering and enlightened, well it is impossible - either you are enlightened or you are conquering.

And I think in 2021 a person must choose, either he is a leftist or he is a Zionist.

It does not go together ".

You hardware controller to the left, but there is a large camp that collaborates with the occupation. I do not hear you criticizing Hbibistim, end sign an agreement outlet with a rich man.

" Listen, I have a specific disability, his eyes cant more Worse than honest people saying bad things.

The Zionist left desperately wants to feel good about itself, and in the end it is responsible for no less injustices, not only in incidental occupation, than the right.

The right at least says - I am a nationalist, I am cruel, I am a superior people.

The left is whitewashing and thinking that it is possible to deceive for years. "

"Educated and talented."

Zipper (Photo: Reuven Castro)

"The media here is a program as you request"

You're not afraid you've become a useful idiot?

What exactly is the difference between you and the Zipper sons.

You both have become babysitters, you both enjoy sticking a finger in the eye of the camp from which you came.

Both of you in many ways are perceived as clowns.

"First of all, one abysmal difference between me and Benny Zipper is that he is one of the most educated people I know and the most talented literary editor I know. For me every Friday with the culture and literature supplement he edits is a great pleasure. I am not a bibist either. My son does not hide That he admires Netanyahu. You will find many more differences between us than common things. Do not forget that I devoted my life to the occupation coverage project which is a very forced good project, which to this day involves dangers, really dirty and black work. Standing for hours and years at checkpoints "Things, humiliations and whatever you want - including us. I come from a place of coverage with a mission - sorry for the high word - of decades. And now everything is pale because a choir just not Bibi is ringing in my ear."

Why do you think the media ignores the occupation?

"Because the media here is a program as you request and wants to make pleasant in the back. And the readers do not want and the editors do not want and the publishers do not want to bother you."

Where do you still see islands of optimism in the press?

"Look, I am not an optimistic man.

First of all, social networks have entered our lives and this is not good news.

There is no longer any hierarchy and there are no professional criteria.

Everything goes and everything can be published.

And there is another thing that has happened to some of my fellow journalists - who have moved to work on Twitter.

People there think they are the kings of the world because they are terribly witty, but they have stopped being journalists and working at being cynical.

You have 100,000 followers and 150,000 followers, and what do you do with it?

No worldview, no journalistic work. "

"Influence is a matter of fact."

Amit Segal (Photo: Screenshot, News 12)

I actually think the opposite. Maybe you were actually ahead of your time. You have always been a journalist and publicist of the kind who is not ashamed to say that he covers through a certain prism and promotes an agenda, and today most of them are like that.

"But at the end of the day, journalistic work also needs to be done. This is not journalism. Everything is taken from publicists and spoken of. ".

It was the press that exposed Netanyahu's alleged corruption scandals.

"The media has a role and it still fills it. It's not that we've lost any hope. There's just areas that the media is just keeping their feet off of and there's this sick trouble that the media thinks is an entertainment program."

If only you could award the Journalist of the Year Award. Who would he deserve?

"We have a military reporter in Israel named Yaniv Kubowitz who does his job faithfully, and unlike all other military reporters, he sticks a finger in the army. I have the wonderful Li Yaron."

Everyone from the country, it's nice. And what about Guy Peleg, Rina Matzliach, Raviv Drucker, Ayala Hasson, Amnon Abramovich - none of them deserve an award?

"Everyone deserves it, but you asked for one. If I had to choose just one there is no one like that today. There was and was called Uri Avnery."

And what about the right-wing journalist? Amit Segal recently won the Globes' most influential journalistic title in Israel.

"Influence is a factual matter. He is of course very talented but that does not necessarily make him the best journalist in my eyes. I by the way think that Erel Segal and Kalman Liebskind are also very talented and very caring. And they are not cynical. And maybe that's the point: Burning in their bones are my journalist of the year. "

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