Jerusalem Report

Inside Israel's media war: Who shapes the narrative now?

As Israel moves to overhaul its media system, journalists, lawmakers, and critics clash over power, press freedom, and the future of Israeli democracy

|ByRUTH MARKS EGLASH
Israel's media in the eye of the storm.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi attends the Special Committee for the Communications Law at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament on December 9, 2025

Media revolution or power grab? Inside Shlomo Karhi’s Israeli media overhaul - interview

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi says it’s time to open up Israel’s media market, a move some say is political and will weaken freedom of the press.

|ByKESHET NEEV, RUTH MARKS EGLASH
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Communications Minister Shlomo Kahri in the Knesset. Kahri advocates opening up the media market in Israel.

The case for ending Israel's media monopoly protections - opinion

By loosening regulations and expanding competition, the broadcast reform weakens monopolies and reduces political leverage

|ByOMER DOSTRI
Ilana Dayan addresses the Emergency Conference of Israeli Journalists in Tel Aviv on December 9, 2025.

Those who seek truth do not silence the press - opinion

In order to repair what has been broken here, we have to know, we have to ask, and we have to demand answers

|ByILANA DAYAN

Shutting down Army Radio is a blow to Israeli democracy - opinion

In the battle for the country’s future, shutting down Army Radio would be a serious blow to the fundamental rights of Israel’s citizens

JANUARY 13, 2026ByNACHMAN SHAI
Soldiers broadcasting from the studio of Galei Tzahal (Israel Army Radio).

'Public broadcasting is not a luxury': Filmmakers defend KAN documentaries

Speaking out for public funding of quality documentaries

JANUARY 13, 2026ByHANNAH BROWN
Noa Aharoni’s documentary ‘Eyes Wide Open’ tells the devastating story of the female border observers from the Nahal Oz IDF base, whose warnings about Hamas activity were ignored.

'Wide-scale attack' on media: Israel’s leading journalists warn against Shlomo Karhi's reform

Leading journalists believe the proposed reforms to the media landscape are not about expanding choice, but about silencing dissent

JANUARY 13, 2026ByJEHUDIT WEINBERGER BASHA
Journalists from across the political spectrum are warning that moves to change the media echo illiberal models found in countries like Hungary and Turkey.

Why global media obsess over Israel and ignore deadlier wars - opinion

How disproportionate media attention and a misleading conflict frame turn Israel into a moral symbol while eclipsing far deadlier wars

JANUARY 13, 2026BySAMUEL J. HYDE
Disproportionate coverage of Israel in global media

Israel in the frame: How Local Testimony 2025 builds a public record

How an Israeli photography exhibition turns a year of war, protest, and hostage returns into a public record

JANUARY 13, 2026ByCHANI KAPLAN
Itai Ron’s image showing shadows of ultra-Orthodox men and soldiers on the wall of a house in the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris was selected as Photo of the Year by ‘Local Testimony 2025.’

How lies became weapons in the war on the West - opinion

From Soviet propaganda to Qatari petrodollars, the long campaign to destabilize the West has relied less on armies and more on narratives

JANUARY 13, 2026ByRUTH WASSERMAN LANDE
Palestinian women walk past a mural of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Hebron on the 21st anniversary of Arafat’s death. Ruth Wasserman Lande argues that the Palestinian narrative was created by the Soviet Union.

Between two worlds: Mohammad Magadli, an Arab voice in Israeli media

Israeli Arab journalist Mohammad Magadli is working to bridge the gap between Arab and Jewish media.

JANUARY 13, 2026ByDANA BEN-SHIMON
Israeli-Arab journalist Mohammad Magadli bridges the divide between Israeli and Arab media in Israel.

Global media coverage frames Israel as a criminal state - analysis

A comparative analysis of leading international media outlets shows how legal rhetoric is overwhelmingly applied to Israel – and rarely to Iran

JANUARY 13, 2026ByROBERT NEUFELD, SHLOMI BREZNIK
A civilian retrieves personal belongings from the rubble of his house in Tel Aviv after a ballistic missile fired from Iran struck the city on June 23, 2025.

Toward strategic self-reliance: Israel beyond US military aid - analysis

The next memorandum of understanding should be a transition – from reliance on Washington to strategic self-reliance and true partnership

JANUARY 13, 2026ByERIC R. MANDEL
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference after meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, US, December 29, 2025.

It’s time for Israel to allow journalists into Gaza - opinion

Independent, firsthand reporting is the best way to give the public the most complete picture of war and its consequences

JANUARY 13, 2026ByTANIA KRAEMER
In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, foreign media reported from the devastated Israeli communities along the Gaza border under rocket fire.