Netanyahu’s Excuse For Dodging the Israeli Media Simply Doesn’t Hold Up to Reality

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Israeli media of lying about its access to him since October 7th in a Tuesday evening interview on CNN. Netanyahu cited his recent press conferences to brush aside criticism he’s dodging the Israeli press, which is problematic given that he hasn’t held a full presser in almost two months and has avoided interviews with some major Israeli networks for years.

Anchor Jake Tapper pressed Netanyahu on the latter point at the end of their lengthy interview Tuesday.

“Before you go, sir, we should note, while we appreciate you’re talking to us, according to the independent Israeli media monitor, The Seventh Eye, you’ve done about two dozen interviews since October 7th, but all of them in English – and all the outlets outside Israel. I don’t want to begrudge that. I appreciate you doing an interview with us, but why are you not speaking with Israeli journalists the way you are with me?” Tapper asked.

Netanyahu, ever a skillful communicator, hit back arguing, “That’s the tendentious reporting of some, of a lot of the Israeli media. So I can tell you what they’re not telling you is I’ve done, I don’t know if it’s two dozen or 20 or 15 press conferences with Israeli media.”

“They can ask anything they want, and they do. And I just met Israeli reporters the other day in Rafah, in fact, three days ago, and they asked me all the questions they want. So that’s simply not true. I speak to them and I speak to you, and I welcome the opportunity to tell the truth and dispel the lies in both mediums,” Netanyahu concluded. Tapper then thanked Netanyahu for joining him and ended the interview.

While it is certainly true that Netanyahu has given press conferences since October 7th (although his first was three full weeks later on the 28th), he has not given one in almost two months — despite a raging war and fraught domestic political climate.

Additionally, a press conference and a sit-down interview are very different regarding a reporter’s ability to structure questions and ask follow-ups. Press conferences give Netanyahu the ability to control the flow of questions and call on friendly reporters if ever he gets in a bind.

Furthermore, as noted by Haaretz and other local journalists Netanyahu did give interviews three days ago to reporters while in Rafah. Haaretz noted:

Netanyahu also told Tapper that he “just met Israeli reporters in Rafah three days ago, and they asked me all the questions they wanted.” As army radio journalist Yanir Cozin pointed out from his X account, the event Netanyahu was referring to was neither an interview nor in Rafah.

Netanyahu was instead accompanied by the press to an Israeli moshav near the Gaza border called Bnei Netzarim.

Netanyahu has long avoided the Israeli media and when he does grant a rare interview it is often to very friendly outlets. In 2023, for example, he only gave three interviews to local outlets: two to right-leaning Channel 14 and one to the Jerusalem Post – a right-leaning English newspaper. The trend is nothing new for the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history; in 2013 he went over 14 months without giving a single interview to the Israeli media. He has also dodged speaking to Israel’s Channel 11, the public broadcaster, for almost four and a half years.

In November 2019, Netanyahu was indicted on charges of fraud, breach of trust, and bribery for alleging promising favorable regulations to the owner of local media outlet in exchange for favorable coverage. Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and the trial is ongoing.

This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.