Racism in Israeli Media: From Ayla Hasoun to Eyal Berkovich
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
The article criticizes the normalization of anti-Arab incitement in Israeli media, exemplified by cases involving Ayla Hasoun and Eyal Berkovich. It argues that this trend, amplified during Benjamin Netanyahu's premiership, has transformed racism into a political strategy. While some media outlets are now taking action against such personalities, the author questions their past inaction. The piece suggests that the Arab community's growing influence is making the cost of racism higher, but the real challenge is dismantling the systemic issues that enable it.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israeli media has normalized anti-Arab incitement, turning it into a tool for career advancement.
- Cases involving Ayla Hasoun and Eyal Berkovich highlight a culture of denigrating Arab citizens.
- The Netanyahu era, with partners Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, eroded ethical boundaries, legitimizing racism.
- Demonizing Arab citizens serves a political goal of delegitimizing them and hindering democratic partnership.
- The Arab community's increased influence is raising the cost of racism, challenging its narrative.
- The core issue is dismantling the system that promotes incitement and racism, not just suspending individuals.
The cases of media personalities Ayla Hasoun and Eyal Berkovich are not isolated incidents but reflect a long-standing trend of normalizing incitement against Arabs in Israeli media, which has become a tool for career advancement and popularity. For years, a segment of the Israeli media has allowed itself to make statements about Arabs that would not be directed at any other group, treating Arab citizens as legitimate targets for collective accusations and incitement under the guise of free speech or political debate.
Hasoun's offensive remarks against Bedouin women and Berkovich's statements against Arabs and Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi are seen as products of a media and political culture, particularly entrenched during the Netanyahu era, that views Arabs as easy targets for mockery and denigration. The article argues that the problem lies not just with these individuals but with the system and environment that legitimized such discourse.
During Benjamin Netanyahu's terms, especially in partnership with Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, ethical boundaries have eroded, transforming racism from a stigma into a political stance and an electoral strategy. The demonization of Arab citizens, who constitute about 20% of the population, serves a political goal of delegitimizing them and preventing genuine democratic partnership, thereby supporting the nationalistic and settlement project. Some media outlets have actively participated in this by producing, justifying, and marketing this rhetoric, losing their independence and becoming mouthpieces for the authorities.
The article questions the timing of media outlets suspending these personalities, asking where they were when incitement against Arabs became daily fare and when screens were used to justify discriminatory policies instead of exposing them. The positive takeaway from the Hasoun and Berkovich cases is that the cost of racism is no longer zero. The Arab community, which has become more organized and influential, is asserting its voice, stating that incitement is not an opinion and racism is not a viewpoint.
The true test, the article concludes, is not the suspension of individual broadcasters but dismantling the system that turned incitement into a profession, racism into a media commodity, and hatred into political fuel for the exclusion of Arab citizens. This is presented as a battle against a culture that has seized power and attempted to monopolize public opinion but is now failing to impose its narrative without consequence.
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