B’Ivrit | Israeli Media Analyzes Different Reactions to Terrorist Assassinations

1. Preparing for an imminent attack

“Highest alert level,” read the headline of Maariv last Thursday. Splashed in large bold red fonts, the Israeli centrist daily conveyed the double message of the day, and that of the days to follow: on the one hand, a sense of urgency and fear driven home by the alarming headline, and on the other, a feeling of great accomplishment with the event that brought about this heightened alert—the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a brazen attack in the heart of Tehran. The main image on Maariv’s front page was of the late Haniyeh, with a graphic of crosshairs superimposed over his face. 

This dichotomy dominated the Israeli media and has since shaped the public’s perception of recent events: a mix of pride and concern, of celebrating the military feat while fearing its inevitable consequences. 

Yediot Ahronot, Israel’s largest daily, dedicated all of its front page to photos of Haniyeh and of Fouad Shukur, Hezbollah’s top military commander, who was taken out by Israel the same day in Beirut. (Israel has assumed responsibility for the killing of Shukur in Beirut but did not do so with Haniyeh, who was reportedly killed by a bomb planted more than two months ago in the guest house where he was staying in Iran’s capital.) Here too, the faces of both now-deceased terror leaders were depicted in crosshairs, with a headline speaking of “the assassinations and the alerts.”

Over at Israel Hayom, the pro-Netanyahu, Adelson-funded daily, the headline read: “After two targeted killings, Israel prepares for any scenario.” And yes, here too Haniyeh’s photo covered most of the front page, with the inevitable crosshairs around his head.

You get the idea.

Israelis, judging by the coverage in newspapers, websites and on TV news shows, didn’t shed a tear over the killing of Haniyeh and Shukur, two top terrorists who had led, guided and directed the killings of Israeli citizens. At the same time, Israelis are also conditioned to pay the price for these military operations. The Israeli media was there this week to mainstream this perceived contradiction, to tell Israelis that they can feel joy for the fall of their enemies, while fearing the consequences of the actions that led to their killing. 

Only Haaretz, Israel’s left-leaning publication, dared to raise questions about the wisdom of carrying out targeted killings that could ignite a regional war with Iran and are likely to end with a missile attack on Israeli population centers. “The government,” wrote the paper’s chief military affairs correspondent Amos Harel, “feels no need to provide citizens with any explanation regarding what to expect next, or about the decisions and events that brought us to such a tense phase in the conflict.”

As of Sunday night, Israelis were still in a state of “hope for the best but prepare for the worst.” TV channels spoke of a combined Iranian-Hezbollah-Houthi attack in terms of “when” rather than “if.” The studios were packed with military experts explaining how missile defense systems work and what percent of the missiles will be intercepted, alongside reports on Israelis stocking up on water and canned goods and preparing for lengthy power outages. 

2. The airport factor

One might think that at this dire point in time, when Israel is facing a possible Iranian counterattack that could threaten the entire country, the last thing Israelis would be worried about is their summer vacation.

But that would show that you don’t understand Israelis.

Ever since the killings of Haniyeh and Shukur, Israeli media outlets are filled with heartbreaking stories of flights being canceled and of Israelis stranded in Vienna or Larnaca, in Paris or Bangkok. Reports from Ben-Gurion airport have become a permanent feature on the evening news shows, with reporters pointing to the departures board where flight after flight is marked “canceled” and interviewing furious families who can’t believe their only way to fulfill their dream of spending a week in Europe is by paying exorbitant fares to fly on the Israeli airlines, since almost all international and low-cost carriers have stopped flying to Israel, fearing a major military outbreak.

It’s not about Israelis trying to flee the country out of fear they might be caught in the middle of an all-out war with Iran. Alongside Israelis trying to leave are just as many wishing to come back and facing delays of days and perhaps weeks. It is about the God-given right every Israeli has to go abroad and to take some time off, preferably in a cooler part of the world where daily life doesn’t consist of fearing rocket attacks and rushing to bomb shelters. 

With that right in mind, it’s easier to understand how the story of a European airline canceling flights to Israel is aired at the top of the nightly news, right after a piece about the Iranian threats to attack Israel, and why the airwaves are full of testimonials from travelers whose only wish is to come back home to Haifa or Tel Aviv or Jerusalem in time for the Iranian attack and who are now stuck in Munich. 

3. Can journalists suggest military targets?

Nahum Barnea is arguably Israel’s most esteemed journalist. A columnist for Yediot Aharonot, Barnea, 79, has long been Israel’s top commentator on politics and policy, war and peace, and everything in between. His political leaning is probably center-left, though he is by no means an ideologue. His disdain for Netanyahu and his coalition government, however, is no secret.

Last week, the journalist became the story, when a Likud member of the Knesset argued Barnea should be executed, or at least sentenced to life in prison, for a column he published.

Following the killing of Haniyeh and Shukur, and with an Iranian counterattack being viewed as inevitable, Barnea wrote in his column on Thursday that while he is “the last one to give advice to the Iranians,” he would suggest that instead of a massive missile and drone attack, similar to that carried out by Iran in April, which caused almost no damage to Israel, “they can direct one missile, to one airplane parked unmanned at a military airbase. They’ll get to hit an expensive national symbol, dear to its users. In two words: Knaf Zion.”

Knaf Zion, Hebrew for “Wing of Zion,” is the name given to Israel’s Air Force One. It’s a Boeing 767 modified to serve as Netanyahu’s jet for official travel. The plane, which has been worked on for years and which made its debut flight earlier this month when the Israeli prime minister came to Washington, is considered Netanyahu’s baby—a symbol, according to Bibi’s detractors, of the Israeli leader’s tendency toward hedonism.

Barnea’s sarcasm was obvious and clear to most readers, who understood the veteran columnist was saying that Iran could attack Netanyahu’s most cherished toy and get its revenge without hurting any Israelis. But for the Israeli right and for Likud members, Barnea’s tongue-in-cheek advice to the ayatollahs was seen as no less than cooperating with the enemy.

“Nahum Barnea ‘the journalist’ should be sentenced to death or to life in prison,”  Likud MK Tally Gotliev, a lawyer by profession and one of the loudest Bibi defenders in the Israeli parliament, posted on X. “Barnea is serving and assisting Iran, the head of the axis of evil! Barnea should sit in jail for the rest of his life for assisting the enemy at the time of war,” she went on, quoting article 99 of Israel’s criminal code, or at least her interpretation of it. 

Clearly, Barnea is not going to jail nor will he be prosecuted for his column. But the outcry from Likud circles, which has gone on for days, is yet another sign of how the ongoing war has given legitimacy to those threatening the country’s press freedom. 

4. How do you say BS in Hebrew?

Last week, following the killings in Tehran and Beirut, President Biden called Prime Minister Netanyahu. Sources close to both leaders admitted later that it was a tense call. Biden seemed to have lost his patience with Netanyahu and no longer believes the Israeli leader is sincere in his willingness to advance a cease-fire and hostage release deal.

Israel’s Channel 12 news had an interesting tidbit about the conversation. Biden, according to their report, told Netanyahu, “Stop bullshitting me,” when the Israeli leader tried to argue that he intends to go ahead with the deal and that the decision to take out Haniyeh wasn’t meant to sink the negotiations. 

The White House did not confirm this report, but given Biden’s tendency to use colorful language in his conversations and given his anger at the Israeli leader, it could very likely be the case that he used some unsavory words.

But how do you translate this term to Hebrew? There is no good term in Hebrew, one that will relay the relatively harmless meaning of the expression, while at the same time expressing its bluntness.

The reporter, Channel 12’s chief diplomatic reporter Dana Weiss, chose to simply go with the English term embedded in her Hebrew report, hoping that Israeli viewers will get both the meaning and the hidden anger in the term “stop bullshitting me.”

 5. The one thing more important than an Iranian attack

On Sunday, the possibility of a missile attack on Israel became all but assured, as reports from Tehran quoted leaders of the regime saying they have rejected pleas from the West to stand down. 

But looking at the front page of Yediot Aharonot, you wouldn’t guess that this is the largest daily newspaper in a country facing a potentially unprecedented attack. “Champions!” read the festive headline in gold over blue, above a full-page photo of six Israeli athletes, all holding their medals recently won at the Paris Olympics.  

“Total Victory,” exclaimed Maariv, playing on Netanyahu’s demand for a “total victory” over Hamas. But this headline was not about the war. It featured the Israeli athletes with their medals in judo, windsurfing and gymnastics.

Even Haaretz, known for its more serious tone, couldn’t avoid the celebratory feeling engulfing Israel and posted photos of four of the Israelis, clutching their medals, above the fold.

Saturday night’s TV news shows, watched by most Israelis, all opened with a quick mention of the war, and then an explanation by the anchors, glowing with excitement: “But first, we turn to Paris.” 

Israel is by no count a sports powerhouse. Nor have most Israelis heard much about their new heroes: a handful of judo fighters, two windsurfers and a gymnast. But with all the horrible news inundating Israelis’ daily life, there is something refreshing in watching these heroes hold up their medals proudly and in hearing the national anthem Hatikvah played as an Israeli windsurfer steps up to the podium. And if there’s a day when editors can turn these joyful events into a headline, then why not? The bad news can wait a day.

Top Photo Credit: council.gov.ru (CC BY 4.0)