Channel 14 Airs Mistaken Exclusive Interview with Wrong Woman Instead of Former Military Advocate

On August 16, Channel 14 broadcast what it claimed was an exclusive confrontation with former military advocate Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi. The channel's investigator, Meir Shmatzov, approached a woman on the street and questioned her about a plea deal and whether she intended to apologize to soldiers from Unit 100, following a leaked video of Palestinian detainee abuse at Sde Teyman. However, the woman filmed was not Tomer Yerushalmi but her neighbor, who resembles her. The neighbor, unaware she was mistaken for the former advocate, declined to comment and tried to walk away from the interviewer.

This incident was revealed on Daniel Amram's X account, noting that the neighbor was accustomed to media presence due to her proximity to Tomer Yerushalmi. Channel 14 declined to comment on the error. This is not the first controversy involving Shmatzov; two months earlier, he sparked outrage by calling the bereaved mother of a soldier killed in Lebanon in 1998 and accusing her of causing a military withdrawal, without identifying himself as a journalist or informing her the call was recorded. The mother later condemned the call as disrespectful and manipulative.

The mistaken identity broadcast raises questions about Channel 14's journalistic standards and the ethics of its investigative methods, especially given the sensitive nature of the topics and individuals involved.