Veteran Anchor Yonit Levi Prepares for 11th Election Night Broadcast

Veteran Channel 12 news anchor Yonit Levi is gearing up for her 11th election night broadcast, admitting that even after nearly 30 years covering Israeli elections, the pressure remains. In a morning interview, Levi described election night as a "complex, long, and tense broadcast in Israel" with "always surprises" and "definitely butterflies in the stomach."

Levi, who has covered elections since 1996, including as a reporter, emphasized the caution her team will exercise with exit polls, cross-referencing them with real-time results. "I have no idea how many hours this broadcast will last," she stated, acknowledging the potential for a very long and suspenseful night.

Over the years, Levi has had memorable on-air interactions. She once told Dodi Amsalem, "A sitting anchor is only replaced at the ballot box!" In another instance, she prevented Rafi Reshef from ending his broadcast early, recalling his "trick from last time." She also famously declared in a past broadcast, "I'm not letting anyone from this studio leave until they explain to me how to form a coalition."

During the 2022 election night, Levi humorously corrected Yair Shariki when he cited information from "sources around Mohammad Magadli," pointing out, "But sources around Mohammad Magadli, that's you." Later that night, she intervened in a heated debate between Lior Shlein and Boaz Bismuth, quipping, "I promise that if you're quiet for a bit, I'll freeze your mortgage."

That 2022 broadcast marked Levi's tenth election night. This upcoming broadcast will be her eleventh. Her first exit poll was in January 2003, just six weeks after she first anchored the main evening news in December 2002. Now, nearly 24 years later, she returns to the studio, still uncertain about the broadcast's duration.