B’Ivrit | Was Netanyahu’s DC Visit Viewed as a Failure or Victory Lap?

“B’Ivrit: A Hebrew Language Media Roundup” is a monthly look at the news through the eyes of Israeli media consumers.

1. Failure or Victory Lap?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rushed visit to Washington last week dominated the news in Israel for days. And after his hour-long Oval Office photo op with President Trump, the Israeli media was split—roughly along party lines—on how to read the event.

Israel Hayom, a widely-circulated right-wing daily established and funded by Miriam Adelson, chose to see the positive. “Netanyahu was greeted with praise and respect, now it remains to see how it will play out in the future,” read a column by the publication’s diplomatic correspondent following the meeting. Shirit Avitan Cohen, the paper’s reporter who travelled with Netanyahu to Washington chose to focus on Trump’s comment that “the Israeli people want to see the hostages home,” while pushing to the back of the story the bombshell headline provided by Trump, who announced during the Netanyahu visit that he is launching direct negotiations with Iran. The next day, in a commentary column, she noted the “warm embrace, but vague promises” provided by Trump to Netanyahu.

These perspectives on the meeting in the generally pro-Netanyahu Israel Hayom stand in stark contrast to the way most Israeli mainstream publications saw the visit.

“Empty-handed,” is the headline Maariv, a centrist daily, chose for Netanyahu’s White House meeting, while Haaretz, known for its liberal views, led its front page with a description of Trump using the Oval Office summit to lay out his new set of priorities while Netanyahu “could only sit there and nod.”

A similar split was apparent in the way Israel’s TV networks covered the meetings. All channels dropped their regular scheduling to carry Trump’s Oval Office comments live (who would have thought they’d go on for a whole hour?), but they differed in trying to explain and contextualize the situation. Channel 12, Israel’s most-watched and influential network, noted that Netanyahu appeared shocked to hear Trump announce his Iranian diplomatic initiative and that, in doing so, Trump contradicted the Israeli PM’s narrative that the United States is heading toward a military confrontation with Iran. Channel 13 and the public broadcaster KAN both followed the same line. But things looked quite different on Channel 14, a far-right pro-Bibi network. “The meeting was a great success,” the network’s chief political commentator said on air, while the network’s reporter covering the visit explained that Trump, in fact, invited Bibi in order to consult with him about Iran, in contrast to  former president Obama who he said “tried to hide from Israel his talks” with Iran back in 2015.

2. Tariffs? That’s an Israeli Issue Too

Diplomatic talks with Iran weren’t the only surprise Trump had in store for Israelis and for their leader. A couple of days before the visit, Netanyahu and the Israeli public were shocked to learn that Trump not only had included Israel on his tariff list but that he had even slapped on a higher rate than the 10 percent minimum, placing all Israeli exports to the United States in a 17 percent tariff bracket.

“Trump vs. the World,” read the cover of Globes, a business daily, noting the “concern in Israel” over the surprise tariffs. Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s largest daily, wrote about the “Trump effect,” and speculated that “while Israel will pay a significant price, it will likely not impact consumers.”

The TV networks had their financial reporters stand in front of wall-sized video screens and explain what tariffs are, how they work and what to expect next when trying to purchase a U.S.-made product or to sell America Israeli-made goods. Most reports included quotes from grave-faced Israeli industrialists who warned that one of Israel’s major export markets is closing its doors, while some also noted the unusual method used by the Trump administration to calculate the tariff rate imposed on Israel (basically deducting U.S. exports from imports and dividing the result by exports.) 

The coverage took an interesting twist after Netanyahu decided to visit Trump in Washington. Most outlets reported that Bibi was likely to cut a deal with Trump that would reduce tariffs on Israel, only to hear directly from the president at the meeting that he is not willing to commit to any such exception. Luckily, a couple of days later Trump put the majority of his tariffs on hold for 90 days, allowing the Israeli press to drop its coverage of an issue that was too difficult to explain in the first place.

3. Covering Conscientious Dissent

There are few things more sacred in Israeli society than the idea of universal military service. All Israelis are expected to fulfill their requirement for compulsory military service, followed by years of reserve call-ups. There’s very little societal tolerance for questioning or avoiding this military service, especially at a time of war. This is the reason for the huge outburst of resentment in the past year toward many in the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel who have been exempt from service, and it’s what has turned a rare attempt this past week to question the necessity to serve into such an interesting test case for the Israeli mainstream media.

At issue is an open letter signed by several hundred reserve and veteran pilots and Air Force service members. They did not declare they’ll refuse to serve if called up, nor did they advocate for conscientious objection. The letter merely called on the military to prioritize the release of all remaining hostages over the continuation of the military campaign in Gaza, which, they argue, risks the lives of the hostages and does not have real military significance.

The letter shook Israeli society. The Air Force chief commander immediately dismissed all signatories of the letter from further service, and the prime minister denounced them as politically motivated “anarchists” who need to be fired. But the protest has only grown and spread to other groups of reservists, who have since signed similar letters calling for an end to the war.

The Israeli press took a very cautious approach to these developments. While providing extensive coverage of the letters and the government’s response to them, many tried to avoid making any judgment call that would seem supportive of their move.

The right-wing media, as expected, sided with the government. “An appropriately harsh response,” is how a writer for Israel Hayom described Netanyahu’s outrage at the pilots and other service members who signed the letters. Amit Segal, a right-wing journalist who is Channel 12’s top political analyst and arguably the most influential reporter in Israel, described the letter as a “failed attempt” to insert politics into the military. Channel 14, Israel’s version of Fox News, filled its studios with pundits and commentators who denounced the letter, including a former Air Force officer who called the letter “a cancer” that should have been dealt with aggressively from day one.

The more mainstream media opted for less opinion and more news reporting. Most outlets rightly highlighted the fact that the letters did not call for refusing military service, but they all fell short of examining the merits of such calls and of assessing the magnitude of what could be Israel’s first massive objection from within the military ranks.

4. News from the Shopping Cart

Israel is a country at war, and as such, everyday issues hardly make it into the daily news. Even grocery prices, a basic element of news reporting in the western world, rarely make headlines any more.

But in recent weeks, suddenly household economic stories were back in the headlines. The reason: Passover, the holiday of Jewish liberation, which is also the holiday of hosting huge seder feasts and multi-generational family dinners. And when you need to shop for a dozen people or more, the prices at the checkout counter take over the news cycle, whether there’s a war on or not.

“Which is the cheapest chain store for holiday shopping?” asked a headline on KAN, Israel’s public broadcasting network whose reporters went out to compare prices for all basic holiday needs, from fish to matzos. (The answer, by the way, was Rami Levy, if you find this information useful in any way.) Ynet, the popular news website owned by Yediot Aharonot, reported on how much prices for Passover staples increased compared to last year. And Maariv sent its readers to try the Haredi supermarkets, where a list of 87 Passover essentials was significantly cheaper than in stores catering to the general public.

It may sound mundane, but this type of news reporting is a sign of normality that Israel has largely been missing this past year and a half.

5. Don’t Forget Traffic and Weather

This is also the case with extensive reporting on traffic and weather. For a few days in early spring, in normal times, these reports garner more interest than the “real” news out there—from the hostage situation to threats of a nuclear war with Iran.

Israelis closely follow reports on holiday traffic, especially on the eve of the seder when millions try to get to their relatives’ homes to celebrate. And for the entire week of Passover, many cling to radio and TV weather reports before they go out to the packed national parks, beaches and nature attractions. Again, the return of these reports is a much needed sign of normality, which may not be necessary (the weather is always hot, the traffic is always bad and either way you have apps on your phone to tell you both) but is one of those little corners of media coverage that provide a sense of tradition.