Veteran Journalist Amnon Levy Slams Israeli Media's War Coverage

Veteran Israeli journalist and television personality Amnon Levy has sharply criticized the performance of the Israeli media during the ongoing war, stating that many outlets acted as a "cheerleading squad" for the military's actions in Gaza.

Speaking on Guy Peleg's podcast on the "All-in" network, Levy argued that the press largely refrained from necessary criticism, opting instead for blind support of the IDF's operations. "The media, for the most part, served as a cheerleading squad for everything done in Gaza, without criticism," Levy said. "We were soldiers of the IDF instead of being journalists, and that is not good from a patriotic standpoint."

Levy contended that this lack of media scrutiny ultimately harmed Israel's national and security interests. "We would have helped the IDF if we had criticized it, if we had stopped actions, if we had exposed actions, if the Israeli media had its finger on the pulse," he explained. "It would have been good for the IDF, for the entire State of Israel, for its image, and for the soldiers who are traumatized because of what happened there and what was done to them."

While acknowledging that the initial shock and post-traumatic response following the October 7th Hamas attacks might explain the media's initial loss of direction, Levy stressed that this behavior became unjustifiable over time. He also vehemently opposed generalizations made by some in the public and media that equate the entire population of the Gaza Strip with Hamas. "There are statements that simply infuriate me, 'there are no uninvolved,' 'there are no innocents,' 'it's either us or them.' These are foolish statements in my opinion," he attacked. "Two million two hundred thousand people, no uninvolved? Hundreds of thousands of children, old women, old men, are they not innocent? This is a terrible, disgusting, and unwise generalization prevalent in the public, and journalists have led it."

Levy concluded that the current approach prevents Israeli society from healing and properly examining the events. "It angers me patriotically. We will not be able to heal from this terrible wound of October 7th if we remain stuck only in anger, which was justified anger, and do not move forward."