Channel 13 Cancels Eyal Berkovich Interview Amid Lucy Aharish Controversy

Channel 13 management has made the unusual decision to cancel an interview with host Eyal Berkovich, which was scheduled to air on Thursday evening as part of Omri Assenheim's program. The interview, filmed over three hours and ready for broadcast, was scrapped at the last minute, with a repeat of an interview with businessman Rami Levy taking its place, according to an initial report by Ran Boker. Sources within the channel stated that the decision was made in an effort to calm tensions following a heated confrontation between Berkovich and anchor Lucy Aharish. The dispute erupted during an election broadcast when Aharish called Berkovich and his co-host Moriyah Asraf "racists" after Asraf called for a "Zionist government." Berkovich responded to Aharish by saying, "Calm down, you're not in a village here," a remark that caused a storm and led to Aharish's absence from broadcasts.

Aharish returned to the airwaves on Wednesday after clarification talks with channel management, addressing the confrontation in a pointed monologue. "Not to be silent in the face of people who tell me 'scream in your village' and not to surrender to racism," she declared. Berkovich acknowledged that his remark was inappropriate but rejected the racism accusations, stating, "From here to racism? That's going too far." Despite Aharish's return to the screen, the controversy continues to impact the channel's broadcast decisions.