Eylon Levy

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Eylon Aslan-Levy, also known as Eylon Levy,[1] is a British-Israeli politician who served as official Israeli government spokesman, from the start of 2023 Israel–Hamas war to March 2024, when he was suspended.[2][3][4]

Levy was born in London, United Kingdom. He attended University College School in London and University of Oxford, where he received his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in 2013. He moved to Israel in 2014 at the age of 23 to join the Israeli military during the 2014 Gaza War. In 2016, Levy began work as the chief news anchor at IBA News, and then later presented news at i24NEWS.

In 2021, Israeli president Isaac Herzog appointed him as his international media advisor at the Office of the President of Israel. After the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, he became an official Israeli government spokesman and one of Israel's most internationally recognized faces in the war.

On March 19, 2024, Levy was suspended as spokesman "after complaints from the UK government".[4]

Biography

Levy was born in London, United Kingdom to Israeli emigrant parents who worked in real estate, and is of Iraqi-Jewish ancestry. He began participating in debate clubs at age 14.[5] Levy attended University College School in London,[6] before going onto Brasenose College at the University of Oxford, where he received his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in 2013.[7][8] While studying at Oxford, he participated in debate championships around the world.[5] During his time at Oxford, Levy participated in a debate with George Galloway in which Galloway walked out after learning that Levy was an Israeli citizen.[9][10][11]

He received his master's degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, where he wrote his thesis on the issue of Jewish refugees from the Arab world in Israeli foreign policy.[12] While at Cambridge, Levy ran unsuccessfully to become President of the Cambridge Union Society.[13][14][15] He moved to Israel in 2014 at the age of 23 to enlist in the Israeli military during the 2014 Gaza War, and served in the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit.[16][5]

In 2016, Levy worked as the chief news anchor at IBA News, the English-language broadcast on Israeli public television. He later worked at the international news network i24NEWS, as a news anchor, commentator, and investigative journalist. In 2021, Israeli President Isaac Herzog appointed him as his international media advisor at the Office of the President of Israel, in which capacity he served for the first two years of the Herzog presidency.

As a Hebrew-to-English literature translator, Levy has translated several influential works of Hebrew non-fiction. In 2022, he was named the inaugural translation finalist of the Sami Rohr Prize in recognition of his translation of Danny Adeno Abebe's memoir From Africa to Zion.[17] Among his previously published works:

  • Catch-67 by Micah Goodman (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2018)[18]
  • #IsraeliJudaism by Shmuel Rosner and Camil Fuchs (Jerusalem: JPPI, 2019)[19]
  • The War of Return by Einat Wilf and Adi Schwartz (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2020)[20]
  • Shimon Peres: An Insider's Account by Avi Gil (London: I.B. Tauris, 2020)[21]
  • The Story of Secular Jews by Amnon Rubinstein (Tel Aviv: Kotarim, 2021)[22]
  • The Wondering Jew by Micah Goodman (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2021)[23]
  • From Africa to Zion by Danny Adeno Abebe (Tel Aviv: Yediot Books, 2021)[24]
  • The Israeli Century by Yossi Shain (New York: Wicked Son, 2021)[25]
  • The Fifth Fiasco by David Passig (Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2021)[26]
  • Frayed by Yair Ettinger (New York: Koren Publishers, 2023)[27]

Levy was the co-creator of the musical comedy A Theory of Justice: The Musical, which premiered in Oxford in 2013 and was revived for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it was nominated for four awards.[28]

Controversies

Joking that Israel had assassinated Hezbollah leader's speechwriter

During the early stages of the conflict, Eylon Levy encountered a diplomatic setback characterized by a press conference response to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Levy remarked with what Levy described as "dark British humour" that Nasrallah's speech was so boring that Israel probably had assassinated Nasrallah's speechwriter. Levy also noted that Nasrallah was not onstage during the address, such that the Hezbollah leader must have been "hiding in a bunker like a coward" as he was defending what Levy termed "the pedophile rapists of Hamas".

The Public Diplomacy Directorate of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel deemed the disparaging comments a diplomatic failure. Despite Levy's British accent and proficiency in English, he was perceived as a reflection of the "overly confident" but "unfocused" Israeli public diplomacy "machine". The Directorate contemplated removing Levy as international media spokesperson, but in the end granted him a second opportunity with guidance from higher authorities who emphasized the inappropriate nature of his response as a government spokesperson. Levy acknowledged the lapse, recognizing that, in his role, humour was not the primary objective but rather conveying information seriously and professionally.[5]

Calling pro-Palestinian demonstrators "rape apologists"

In November 2023, host Lewis Goodall of radio show LBC asked Levy about his tweet[29] labelling London protestors against Israeli actions in Palestine "rape apologists". Levy replied that he challenged anyone offended by the term, to hold up a sign at a pro-Palestine march with the sentence "I condemn Hamas for raping Israeli women and girls".[5]

Performance in interviews

Levy has been criticized for sometimes not answering questions directly with substantive answers, exaggerating, using partial facts or circumstantial evidence, conveying promises rather than expressing tangible and realistic goals, for attacking adversaries' figures without enough reliable data to back it up. Additionally, Levy has been criticized for his attitude to the interview setting: assertive and confrontational approaches, not maintaining composure, interrogating and talking across the interviewer, repeating answers, complaining about the interview format, suggesting impropriety of the interviewer, and gratuitously using the interviewer's name.[30]

On the other hand, the Times of Israel praised Levy for his interview performance, writing that Levy is[5]

"energized, assumes a Sphinx-like expression and delivers an impressive barrage of well-reasoned, well-crafted arguments. There’s no hesitation. He doesn’t play the victim, doesn’t argue, doesn’t philosophize. Levy wears a face of restrained anger when talking about children, a penetrating look when discussing soldiers, and a neutral expression when mentioning the prime minister – the same prime minister against whom Levy demonstrated with shirts that read “Democracy or Rebellion” just over two months ago. Nonetheless, no one can detect even a hint of criticism [of Netanyahu] in him."

Reported intention to remove Levy as spokesman

On January 22, 2024, the Times of Israel and the Jerusalem Post reported that Sara Netanyahu, wife of the current Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tried to oust Levy from his spokesperson role for participating in the 2023 Israeli judicial reform protests before the Israeli war on Gaza. Levy's posts on X (formerly Twitter) had reportedly circulated among persons in the prime minister's inner circle and upset some of them. Sara Netanyahu's endeavor to dismiss Levy aroused significant public outcry over what was seen as her overreach. The Movement for Quality Government in Israel promptly petitioned the government's legal advisor, urging the issuance of guidelines delineating the specific domain within which she is authorized to intervene in and unjustly or illegally influence governmental affairs.[31][32] Later that day it was reported that Sara Netanyahu had reprimanded Israel’s Ambassador to the UK Tzipi Hotovely for praising Levy whom Hotovely called a "wonderful public diplomacy star", with Sara Netanyahu denying having done so. At the same time it was reported that Levy would be allowed to stay on as an international spokesman, but that his media appearances would be less frequent.[33]

According to a Channel 12 report on January 21, 2024, officials opted to reduce Levy's public appearances promptly, with a complete removal from the position anticipated within the following few weeks, while the official rationale behind this decision would be stated to be the government's expressed aim to project a more diverse image to the international media.[32]

David Cameron row preceding suspension

In an online row with UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron Levy said in response to a tweet from Cameron urging Israel "to allow more [aid] trucks into Gaza":[34][35]

"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. Test us. Send another 100 trucks a day to Kerem Shalom and we'll get them in."

Cameron commented on Levy's claims that there were “no limits” on the entry of aid into Gaza, and that the Kerem Shalom border crossing into Gaza was closed on Saturdays because of the UN, in a letter addressed to MP Alicia Kearns:[34]

In response to the Israeli spokesman claims you quote in your letter, I can confirm that the UN has not requested that the Kerem Shalom crossing is closed on Saturdays. It is our understanding that Israel closes it due to the Sabbath. [...] It is of enormous frustration that UK aid for Gaza has been routinely held up waiting for Israeli permission. For instance, I am aware of some UK funded aid being stuck at the border for just under three weeks waiting for approval. The main blockers remain arbitrary denials by the Government of Israel and lengthy clearance procedures, including multiple screenings and narrow opening windows in daylight hours.[34]

Levy was suspended after the UK Foreign Office expressed "surprise" to Israel's foreign ministry and sought clarification on whether his tweets represented the Israeli government's official position. A report in the Financial Times paraphrased the UK's query as: "Is this the way allies speak to each other?"[35]

In popular culture

Eyebrow incident and memes

The eyebrow incident[36] on Sky News, 23 November 2023

On 23 November 2023 TV, Sky News anchor Kay Burley interviewed Levy during which she asked him whether Israel's plan to release 150 Palestinian fighters in exchange for Hamas freeing only 50 Israeli hostages, one Israeli for every three Palestinians, implied that Israel perceived Palestinian lives as inferior. Levy raised his eyebrows dramatically in apparent disbelief at the question and stayed silent for a moment, then replied that Burley's accusation was "astonishing", continuing "If we could release one prisoner for every one hostage, we would obviously do that". Clips of Levy raising his eyebrows went viral on social media. The next day on X (formerly Twitter) Levy expressed further frustration with Sky News reporting that didn't match his narrative, and then joked "my eyebrows are tired".[37]

News articles about Levy referenced the eyebrow incident as well – in some cases, in the headline itself. Examples include:

  • “Levy – or at least his eyebrow raise – has become a household name in Israel” – Jerusalem Post, "Meet Eylon Levy, Israel's spokesperson and viral meme sensation"[38]
  • “Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy, who became a viral sensation after raising his eyebrows in shock at a question from a Sky News reporter” – Channel 7, Israel[39]
  • “Levy raised his eyebrows in utter shock and told Burley that that was "an astonishing accusation." The video has since garnered over 16 million views since Levy shared it on social media.” – Fox News, "Viral Israeli spokesman discusses ‘frustrating’ media narrative"[40]
  • From Times of Israel – "Israel’s newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows":[41]
    • “Since the eyebrow incident, many of his moves have gone viral;”
    • “They’re making fun of my eyebrows, and soldiers are dying”
    • “Levy’s raised eyebrows have even been turned into a trance music video”
  • “Levy’s eyebrow raise has since become an online meme.” – Times of Israel, "Israeli gov’t spokesman’s reply to UK host’s question about hostage deal"[42]
  • “It has raised eyebrows all round” - Times of London[43]

Since the eyebrow incident,[36] Levy has been portrayed in other video clips, memes, sketches and other expressions of popular culture. These include a humorous parody of the typical Israeli accent on an American podcast and a video where he facetiously apologizes to those he accused of supporting Hamas, asserting that they were, in reality, merely "indifferent" to the organization's atrocities.[44][45]

References

  1. ^ Omitting "Aslan-" (Turkish: lion), a common surname of Iraqi Jews: cf. Beider, Alexander (Fall 2021). "Jewish Surnames in Iraq" (PDF). Avotaynu. XXXVII (3): 42. Retrieved 24 January 2024. Several dozen surnames found in Iraq are ultimately of Turkish origin… …one group of Turkish-sounding names in Iraq is drawn from the given names of Turkish origin that were used in Baghdad. Some examples… are Agha (lord, master), Aghababa (grandfather, oldest man), and Aslan (lion)
  2. ^ [1]
  3. ^ "Israel's prince of public diplomacy". Globes. 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b "English-language spokesman Eylon Levy said suspended after angering the UK". Times of Israel.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Israel's newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows". Times of Israel.
  6. ^ Rosenberg, Michelle. "Top London boys' school says no to talk by former pupil, Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy". www.jewishnews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  7. ^ "Eylon Aslan-Levy". OxPol. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  8. ^ "Notable Alumni - Brasenose College, Oxford". www.bnc.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  9. ^ "Galloway walks out of debate with Oxford Israeli student". Varsity Online. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  10. ^ "Oxford in uproar over union motion to boycott Israel". the Guardian. 2013-02-23. Archived from the original on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  11. ^ "George Galloway refuses to debate with Israeli student at Oxford". the Guardian. 2013-02-21. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  12. ^ "Eylon Aslan-Levy". aishcom. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
  13. ^ "**TODAY** Eylon Aslan-Levy for President of the Cambridge Union Society". Archived from the original on 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  14. ^ Leong, Claudia (2013-12-01). "Blackmail, Coercion and Lies: Cambridge Union Scandal-Struck". The Cambridge Tab. Archived from the original on 2013-12-04.
  15. ^ Leong, Claudia (2014-04-22). "Full Union Line-Up Revealed!". The Cambridge Tab. Archived from the original on 2014-07-07.
  16. ^ "Farewell, IDF; it's been an honor". blogs.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  17. ^ "The Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature and the National Library of Israel Announce New Collaboration". www.nli.org.il. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  18. ^ Goodman, Micah (2019-10-08). Catch-67: The Left, the Right, and the Legacy of the Six-Day War. Translated by Levy, Eylon. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300248418.
  19. ^ Rosner, Shmuel; Fuchs, Camil (2019-08-29). #IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution. JPPI, The Jewish People Policy Institute. ISBN 978-9657549261.
  20. ^ Schwartz, Adi; Wilf, Einat (2020-04-28). The War of Return: How Western Indulgence of the Palestinian Dream Has Obstructed the Path to Peace. St. Martin's Publishing. ISBN 978-1250252760.
  21. ^ Gil, Avi (2020-11-12). Shimon Peres: An Insider's Account of the Man and the Struggle for a New Middle East. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0755617029.
  22. ^ Rubinstein, Amnon (3 January 2021). THE STORY OF THE SECULAR JEWS. January 3, 2021). Archived from the original on 22 January 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  23. ^ Goodman, Micah (2020-11-10). The Wondering Jew: Israel and the Search for Jewish Identity. Translated by Levy, Eylon. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300252248.
  24. ^ Abebe, Danny Adeno (2021-04-20). From Africa To Zion. Yedioth Ahronoth and Chemed Books. ISBN 978-9652012869.
  25. ^ Shain, Yossi (2021-11-02). The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism. Post Hill Press. ISBN 978-1642938456.
  26. ^ "The Fifth Fiasco, or How to Escape the Traps of Jewish History in the Twenty-First Century - Cambridge Scholars Publishing". www.cambridgescholars.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  27. ^ "Frayed". Koren Publishers. Archived from the original on 2023-12-24. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
  28. ^ "Nominees for WhatsOnStage supported MTN Awards announced in Edinburgh | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. 16 August 2013. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  29. ^ Eylon Levy (19 November 2023). "Post on X by Eylon Levy". Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  30. ^ Games, Stephen (4 December 2023). "Eylon Levy—or how not to do PR for Israel, in 30 easy steps". Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  31. ^ "Sara Netanyahu tried to oust Israel's Eylon Levy from spokesperson role". The Jerusalem Post. 21 January 2024. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  32. ^ a b "Sara Netanyahu pushing to oust English-language spokesman Eylon Levy — report". Times of Israel. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  33. ^ "After furor over alleged removal plans, Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy to stay in role: TV report says Sara Netanyahu lambasted Israel's ambassador to the UK for joint appearance at which she praised English-language media man, who PM's wife wants to oust". Times of Israel. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  34. ^ a b c Yang, Maya; Belam, Martin; Sedghi, Amy (2024-03-21). "Middle East crisis live: consensus among US and Arab allies on need for immediate, sustained Gaza ceasefire, says Blinken". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  35. ^ a b "Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy suspended after UK online row". BBC News. 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  36. ^ a b "Israel's newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows". Times of Israel. Since the eyebrow incident
  37. ^ Levy, Eylon (24 November 2023). "Post by @EylonALevy". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  38. ^ "Meet Eylon Levy, Israel's spokesperson and viral meme sensation". The Jerusalem Post. 2 December 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024. Levy – or at least his eyebrow raise – has become a household name in Israel
  39. ^ Kempinski, Yoni (13 December 2023). "Sheva about his visit to Kfar Aza, efforts to combat misinformation globally". Channel 7 Israel - israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024. Israeli Government Spokesman Eylon Levy, who became a viral sensation after raising his eyebrows in shock at a question from a Sky News reporter
  40. ^ Tietz, Kendall (1 December 2023). "Viral Israeli spokesman discusses 'frustrating' media narrative following deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attack". Fox News. Retrieved 23 January 2024. Levy raised his eyebrows in utter shock and told Burley that that was "an astonishing accusation." The video has since garnered over 16 million views since Levy shared it on social media.
  41. ^ Hofstein, Avner (20 December 2023). "Israel's newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows". Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 January 2024. Since the eyebrow incident, many of his moves have gone viral;So sometimes it's uncomfortable for me – they're making fun of my eyebrows, and soldiers are dying; Levy's raised eyebrows have even been turned into a trance music video.
  42. ^ "Israeli gov't spokesman's reply to UK host's question about hostage deal goes viral". Times of Israel. 23 November 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024. Levy's eyebrow raise has since become an online meme.
  43. ^ Callaghan, Louise (23 January 2024). "Eylon Levy: the ex-public schoolboy who became Israel's spokesman". Retrieved 23 January 2024. It has raised eyebrows all around
  44. ^ "Israeli gov't spokesman's reply to UK host's question about hostage deal goes viral". 23 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  45. ^ Avner Hofstein (20 December 2023). "Israel's newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows". Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 January 2024.

External links

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