IDF censures right-wing TV network for mockery of military chief

Channel 14 publishes clip making fun of Herzi Halevi, showing his eyes engorging in response to a soldier sporting a Messiah badge

By Emanuel Fabian
and ToI Staff 23 October 2024, 5:14 pm Edit
A portrayal of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a Channel 14 clip berating him on October 22, 2024, with the Channel's slogan "God willing, We will win together!" on the top left. (X screenshot used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)
A portrayal of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi in a Channel 14 clip berating him on October 22, 2024, with the Channel's slogan "God willing, We will win together!" on the top left. (X screenshot used in accordance with article 27a of the Copyright Law)

The Israel Defense Forces criticized the far-right Channel 14 TV network for a clip the station broadcasted on Tuesday that made fun of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. The military accused the channel of “inflammatory and defamatory content that harms the IDF.”

The video made fun of an incident in which Halevi, while visiting Golani Brigade troops in southern Lebanon, removed a velcro patch from a soldier’s sleeve on which was written “Messiah.” These have become popular among some religious soldiers during the war.

The patches are associated with Messianic fundamentalist Jewish beliefs, and Halevi told the soldier that, while he was free to keep the patch in his shirt pocket, only official IDF insignia could be presented externally.

News of Halevi reprimanding a soldier for the badge, reportedly not for the first time, angered some in right-wing circles — despite the fact that soldiers are generally bound by strict uniform regulations and have long been prohibited from displaying messages on their fatigues.

The Channel 14 animated clip portrayed Halevi seeing the patch, causing his eyes to engorge and for him to start screaming in agony. Halevi has been the object of much criticism from some Netanyahu supporters since the war broke out on October 7 last year, with certain voices accusing him of weakness and a lack of resolve in the face of the Hamas and Hezbollah threats.

Some commenters on social media criticized the clip, saying Channel 14 was serving enemy interests by portraying Halevi in such a manner.

“I am contacting you following the video published last night on Channel 14, which included inflammatory and defamatory content that harms the IDF. It is inconceivable that a media channel in the State of Israel platforms inflammatory content against the IDF during war,” read a letter addressed to the network by IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari.

Hagari wrote that the military “does not fear criticism and even encourages an open and sharp public discourse” on the IDF amid the war.

“However, the content that was broadcast yesterday on Channel 14 crosses a red line. This is deliberate incitement and humiliation of the IDF and its commanders during war. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Channel 14 has taken such actions toward the IDF,” the letter continued.

The IDF said it expects the network to delete the content.

The letter was also sent to the Second Authority for Television and Radio, a key regulatory and licensing body for commercial broadcasting in Israel, as well as Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.

Karhi, a hardliner from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, wrote a post on X aimed at Hagari, calling on him to rescind the letter.

“It seems the tool you have used to deal with sharp criticism is the tool of silencing,” Karhi wrote. In a letter attached to the post, Karhi wrote that neither he nor the defense minister have authority to intervene in broadcasts, saying such limited powers are bestowed solely upon the Second Authority.

“Criticism is not incitement. Incitement is a criminal offense under the Penal Code. In the past two years, you have been silent and even supportive of those inciting refusal [to serve in reserve duty], who violated Section 109 of the Penal Code,” the post continued.

The law Karhi referred to calls for a five-year jail sentence for those who incite or pressure a person required to serve in the military to desert.

“Criticism of the chief of staff isn’t criticism of the IDF’s soldiers and its commanders. Keep the IDF out of political arguments.”

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