Israeli News Outlet and Lebanese Platform Announce Media Cooperation Amid Gaza War
Israeli news channel i24NEWS and the Lebanese media platform "Hadhihi Beirut," owned by Lebanese banker Antoun Sehnaoui, have announced a new media "cooperation." This normalization move comes at a time of heightened conflict, with Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and continued military operations in Lebanon, including the occupation of southern areas and destruction of villages.
The two entities released a promotional video featuring representatives from both organizations meeting in Jaffa. They presented the collaboration as a model for dialogue and rapprochement, despite Israel's ongoing bombardment and destruction in Lebanon and restrictions on residents returning to their southern towns. i24NEWS framed the meeting as an opportunity to "tell a different story" between Israel and Lebanon, focusing on music, culture, and dialogue, while omitting any mention of the war, occupation, or destruction in Lebanon, or the war in Gaza.
The promotional clip included two i24NEWS anchors and Lebanese-Israeli activist Maryam Younes. It concluded with an invitation for Lebanese people to visit Israel and expressed a desire from the participants to visit Beirut. The specific nature of the cooperation, whether it involves joint content production, report exchange, or other media projects, remains undisclosed by either i24NEWS or Hadhihi Beirut.
The announcement is particularly sensitive given the current context of Israeli occupation in southern Lebanon, extensive damage to numerous villages and towns, and ongoing Israeli attacks, all occurring concurrently with the war in Gaza. This cooperation also follows previous controversies surrounding Sehnaoui's stances and his connections with Israeli officials. He previously funded an opera about Theodor Herzl in 2025 and met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington last July.
Following his meeting with Netanyahu, reports indicated that Lebanese judicial authorities issued an arrest warrant for Sehnaoui on suspicion of dealing with Israel. This new cooperation intensifies criticism against Sehnaoui for promoting engagement with Israeli entities, especially as Lebanon and Israel lack diplomatic relations and Israeli forces continue to occupy Lebanese territory and conduct attacks within the country.
