Israeli Government Spox Eylon Levy Suspended After Upsetting U.K. Government
Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy has reportedly been suspended from his position after making several social media posts that upset the U.K. government.
According to a report from the Times of Israel, which cited Israel’s Channel 12, Levy was suspended following complaints from the U.K. government after Levy challenged U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron on social media.
Levy – who became a frequent representative of the Israeli government on cable news following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks – responded to Cameron’s statement calling on Israel “to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it” by denying that aid was unable to enter Gaza.
“I hope you are also aware there are NO limits on the entry of food, water, medicine, or shelter equipment into Gaza, and in fact the crossings have EXCESS capacity,” wrote Levy in a post which has since been deleted. “Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we’ll get them in.”
Levy also made a combative post toward Cameron the day prior, calling comments that the foreign secretary made “factually incorrect.”
According to the report, the U.K. government reached out to Israel’s Foreign Ministry to ask if the comments “effectively attack Foreign Minister Cameron’s position” and “if they reflect the Israeli government’s official position.”
Israel responded by suspending Levy from his position.
Levy has reportedly “been at home for more than a week since being suspended” and is “unlikely to return to the post.”
Last week, Levy also got into a spat with U.K. MP Alicia Kearns – the chairwoman of the U.K. Foreign Affairs Select Committee – during which the Israeli spokesman made false claims about the United Nations blocking aid into Gaza.
Levy – who was born and raised in London before moving to Israel in 2014 – has been a frequent face on cable news in both the U.S. and the U.K. since late last year.
In March, Levy sparred with CNN host Kaitlan Collins after he blamed Hamas for the lack of aid in Gaza, which is currently being blocked by Israel from entering the city.
During a November interview with NewsNation host Chris Cuomo, Levy acknowledged that “the optics” of Israel’s airstrikes on civilians were “bad,” but argued, “We are not fighting for our image; we are fighting for our survival.”
