The Civil Service Disciplinary Court reprimands Elad Zamir, chief of staff to Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, and downgrades his rank and salary for six months, for assaulting Shabi Gatenio, a journalist from the Seventh Eye outlet, the Walla news site reports.
On January 15, Gatenio tried to ask Karhi a question while filming him with his camera, following a Knesset committee meeting.
Zamir admitted in a plea agreement to having confronted Gatenio, called him “an insolent idiot,” and then having snatched Gatenio’s phone and slammed it onto a table while repeating his slurs and insults against the reporter.
The entire incident was filmed by Gatenio on his phone.
The court rules that Zamir harmed the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, and that his behavior was unbecoming of a senior civil servant, such as a minister’s chief of staff.
In response to the ruling, Karhi voices support for Zamir and says he wishes every elected official had such a dedicated adviser.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
