After furor over alleged removal plans, Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy to stay in role
TV report says Sara Netanyahu lambasted Israel’s ambassador to the UK for joint appearance at which she praised English-language media man, who PM’s wife wants to oust
Israel’s English-language government spokesman Eylon Levy will remain in his position, following outrage over reports that Sara Netanyahu was seeking to have him ousted from the job.
After breaking the news on Sunday that the prime minister’s wife was pressing for Levy’s removal because of his prewar opposition to the government and his participation in demonstrations against the judicial overhaul, Channel 12 news said Monday evening that the decision to dismiss him from his role “within the next few weeks” was reversed due to the public outcry caused by the report.
The network added, however, that Levy’s media appearances had already been cut back by his superiors at the National Public Diplomacy Directorate, in a decision that will not be reversed for the time being.
The directorate has denied that Sara Netanyahu was seeking Levy’s dismissal for personal reasons.
According to an unsourced Channel 12 report on Sunday, the official reason that would have been provided for Levy’s dismissal, had it gone ahead, would have been the government’s desire to present a more diverse face to the international media.
But the report claimed that Sara Netanyahu was the real force pushing to oust Levy, due to past social media posts that were highly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government.
Following Sunday’s report that the prime minister’s wife was seeking to have Levy fired, Labor MK Naama Lazimi sent a letter to Israel’s Attorney-General Gali Baharav Miara, requesting an in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding the directorate’s decision to reduce his media appearances.
Levy entered the position of government spokesman in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror onslaught and quickly became a familiar face on British and American TV networks as he sought to defend the Jewish state and its actions as it reeled from the deadly blow dealt by the Gaza terror group.
Prior to this, he had been one of the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who took part in weekly protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government coalition and its plan to overhaul the judiciary and curb its independent powers.
Levy, 32, was born in London to Israeli parents. He immigrated to Israel in August 2014, at the age of 23, to volunteer in Operation Protective Edge, which ended soon after his arrival.
He served in the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) as the aide-de-camp of the civil department.
He later worked as a news anchor for the Israel Broadcasting Authority in English and for i24News, and then as the international media adviser to Herzog, before joining the National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
He left his role in Herzog’s office in 2023, at which point he participated in the anti-judicial overhaul protests.
Channel 12 also reported Monday that in addition to seeking Levy’s dismissal, Sara Netanyahu reprimanded Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely for praising Levy and the work he does in defending Israel on the international stage.
Earlier in January, during a media tour in the UK, Levy met with Hotovely in her offices and the two filmed a short video together in Hebrew, during which the ambassador referred to him as a “wonderful public diplomacy star.”
This praise for the government spokesman was reportedly the source of Sara Netanyahu’s anger. In response, the Prime Minister’s Office called the report “false,” while Hotovely declined to comment.
Let my UK media tour… begin! #EyLondon???????????????? pic.twitter.com/EAQSOiL72V
— Eylon Levy (@EylonALevy) January 11, 2024
Netanyahu’s alleged attempt to oust Levy is not the first time that the prime minister’s wife has been criticized for involving herself in political affairs, despite not being an elected official.
Earlier this month, she criticized relatives of hostages held in Gaza while joining her husband and a top official at a meeting with families and representatives of the hostages, reportedly telling them that their statements to the media about their frustration over the lack of movement regarding the hostages were bolstering Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
In October, she was also criticized for reportedly seeking to block National Unity Party chair Benny Gantz from entering the government, fearing he would be credited for the “victory picture” if and when the cabinet achieved its wartime goals.
