Israeli Media Give Platform to Netanyahu Rival Yoav Horowitz Ahead of Elections

On Friday, Israeli TV channels 11, 12, and 13 aired interviews with Yoav Horowitz, a former chief of staff in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office and now a founding member of the opposition party "Yashar!" led by Gadi Eisenkot. Horowitz, a clear political rival of Netanyahu, was given prime-time exposure under the premise of revealing insider information. However, Horowitz left Netanyahu's office in 2019, making his dramatic claims about the Netanyahu family and office atmosphere outdated by several years. Since then, Israel has experienced multiple elections, a global pandemic, widespread protests, and political upheaval, diminishing the impact of his revelations.

The content of Horowitz's interview was familiar: he described a problematic atmosphere in Netanyahu's office and claimed the current Netanyahu is different from the one he knew. This narrative, often repeated by former insiders, failed to offer new or significant insights. Crucially, the interview did not address why Horowitz did not raise concerns while still in office, leaving a gap in explaining his silence during critical times. Horowitz's political motives were clear, as he is now part of a party competing against Netanyahu in upcoming elections, but this conflict of interest was downplayed in the broadcasts.

The media's uncritical platforming of Horowitz allowed him to control the narrative and use the opportunity to promote his party's slogan, "I'm going straight!" The article criticizes the media for turning recycled allegations into an election campaign disguised as investigative journalism, questioning the journalistic rigor and timing of the coverage just before the elections.