Netanyahu’s Playbook: Reshaping Israeli Minds with Targeted Media and Extremist Rhetoric

The Israeli Occupation government is working to reshape the domestic media landscape in line with its political agenda by strengthening the influence of far-right channels and sidelining left-wing and independent voices.

This strategy is part of a broader effort to engineer Israeli society's consciousness, solidifying a nationalist and religiously extreme discourse that supports settlement and expansion projects, while imposing a one-sided view on the local public.

However, this move is not solely aimed at shaping internal awareness; it also seeks to influence Palestinians through the support of legislation and policies targeting them and promoting narratives that reinforce the Israeli Occupation's dominance.

Blood-Soaked Media

The Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu, the most far-right in “Israel’s history,” views Channel 14 as a model to replicate across other media outlets or create similar channels.

As a reward for its role, the ruling coalition exempted Channel 14 from paying financial dues to the government, a step not taken with competitors Channel 12 and 13 or any other media outlet.

Knesset member David Bitan, head of the parliamentary committee responsible for media legislation, announced that a vote will take place in March 2025 on a law that prioritizes Channel 14.

The Israeli media watchdog site, The 7 Eye, criticized this move through several reports, labeling the legislation the “Small Bribe Law.”

This refers to the ruling coalition's goal of encouraging Channel 14, a key mouthpiece of the far-right, to continue aligning with the government's narrative.

The government-backed far-right Channel 14 “is fast emerging as one of the country’s most-watched news sources, despite allegations from liberal groups that it is inciting war crimes, and claims from the army that it is riling up hatred of its generals for not being far enough to the right,” as per The Guardian.

In October 2024, “Channel 14, also known as Now 14, beat Israel’s principal mainstream news outlet, Channel 12, in viewer ratings when 343,000 Israelis watched Channel 14’s ‘Patriots’ talkshow, known for its virulent rhetoric on Gaza.”

“Media analysts say Channel 14’s rise is both a sign and a driver of the shift of Israeli public opinion to the extreme right that has rapidly accelerated since the start of the Gaza war a year ago,” according to the British newspaper.

Channel 14 was founded by Russian-born Israeli businessman Yitzchak Mirilashvili, son of billionaire Mikhail.

It launched in 2014 as a channel focused on heritage under the name Channel 20 but repeatedly violated licensing terms in its attempt to become a news outlet until Netanyahu's government amended the law.

With Netanyahu's backing, the Knesset passed a change in February 2018 allowing it to broadcast as Channel 14 and define itself as a news channel.

Once a low-viewership station, Channel 14 now receives additional government perks worth tens of millions of shekels annually, according to The Times of Israel on March 9, 2025.

Officially classified as a “small channel,” it sidesteps the strict regulations binding major rivals Channel 12 and 13.

“It is pretty wild, because Israelis consume a lot of news through the big TV channels, 12 and 13, and to a lesser extent the public broadcaster,” Ayala Panievsky, a presidential fellow in the journalism department of City St George’s, University of London, told The Guardian.

“But Channel 14 was not even in the game until very recently. The war seemed to have helped this channel ride the ‘rally around the flag’ effect and the rising time of nationalism to gain more support.”

Since taking office two and a half years ago, Communications Minister Shlomo Karai has pledged to reorganize the media sector to serve “Israel's far-right” agenda, claiming it is under the influence of “left-wing elites.”

The Israeli Occupation government has punished media outlets challenging its narrative, even cutting ads from Haaretz over its criticism of collective punishment and apartheid policies against Palestinians.

This Is It!

It seems that Channel 14 represents the model Netanyahu's coalition aims to implement, spread, and support while sidelining other media outlets.

The Times of Israel reported that Channel 14 spreads false news, incites hatred, and promotes political propaganda, with The New Yorker describing it as “Netanyahu’s media poison machine.”

Netanyahu has long been an enthusiastic supporter of Channel 14, claiming he “fought like a lion” for it, granting it the only interview he gave to local media in recent years.

During the Israeli war on Gaza, the channel handed out baklava in its studios, celebrated assassinations, and broadcast continuous threats of killing Palestinians.

The New Yorker highlighted talk-show host Yinon Magal as a key figure on the channel, known for defending Netanyahu and attacking his opponents and critics during his program.

The magazine also noted the channel's role in inciting Israeli families of prisoners in Gaza, accusing them of “working for Hamas” through weekly protests demanding a deal for their release.

Magal lashed out at the protesters against the so-called “judicial reforms,” calling them “barn burners” and “Kapos,” connoting Nazi collaborators. 

He also hosts extremist guests who attack anyone critical of Netanyahu, support the extermination of Palestinians, and threaten them on-air.

Channel 14 even questioned the loyalty of the Israeli military due to its “notable lack of ideological zeal.”

At the end of October 2024, the recently resigned army spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, filed a complaint with the public broadcasting authority and the Ministry of War, accusing Channel 14 of inciting against military leadership.

Hagari stated that while the army can accept criticism, Channel 14 crossed “a red line” after airing a video of former Israeli Occupation forces chief Herzi Halevi, where his face was distorted to appear mentally unstable, screaming upon seeing Christian religious symbols on a soldier’s uniform.

This clip responded to reports that Halevi ordered a soldier on the Lebanese border to remove a patch bearing the word “Christ.”

The phrase symbolizes in Jewish thought the coming of “the Messiah,” who will establish a just Jewish state according to their beliefs.

Hagari condemned it as incitement and deliberate humiliation during wartime, noting that, unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Channel 14 has targeted the army.

Channel 14 denied the accusations of incitement and sarcastically advised Hagari not to turn into a TV critic. Communications Minister Shlomo Karai, a Likud member, supported the channel over the army.

On September 23, three Israeli civil organizations called on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to launch a criminal investigation into the channel, accusing it of broadcasting content that incites war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide.

Zulat–Equality and Human Rights, the Democratic Bloc, and the Association for Fair Regulation—submitted a legal complaint listing 265 statements made by talk-show hosts and guests on Channel 14. 

Among these, at least 50 were alleged to “call for or support the commission of genocide.” The complaint highlighted the use of terms like “total annihilation” and “exterminate” when referring to people in Gaza.

A Different Approach

In general, there has been an increase in hate speech in “Israel” since Operation al-Aqsa Flood, which has appeared in other news outlets, including Channels 13 and 12.

However, Channel 14 has gone far beyond this; it operates in a completely different world and cannot be compared to the other channels, according to Ayala Panievsky.

One of the standout scenes was when Channel 14’s news anchor, Lital Shemesh, appeared in January 2024, placing a handgun on her hip inside the studio.

At the time, the right-wing Israel Hayom newspaper reported that Channel 14 had the lowest viewership and credibility, according to a public opinion poll.

The poll ranked Channel 12 first, followed by Channel 13, Channel 11, and then Channel 14, which later surged in support due to Netanyahu's government.

In October 2024, Channel 14 published a photo of the highest Shiite religious authority in Iraq, Ali al-Sistani, as one of the targets of assassination plans. This sparked a huge controversy in Iraq, with Baghdad rejecting any harm to the “position of the supreme religious authority.”

The photo of al-Sistani appeared alongside images of Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, current Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as leaders in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and Hamas.

More recently, Israeli media outlets revealed in March 2025 that the military and security services had detected an online campaign aimed at amplifying Egypt’s military presence in Sinai, spreading rumors about Egypt’s intentions to launch an attack on “Israel.”

The identity of those behind the campaign has yet to be determined, though it was noted that Channel 14 could be involved.

Israeli officials did not rule out the possibility that figures within “Israel” were behind the leaks, attempting to weaken Egypt’s position as a mediator with the U.S. on Middle East issues, particularly regarding Gaza.

Channel 14 was promoting claims of Egypt violating the peace treaty, and the Israeli War Forces were monitoring Egyptian military activity in central Sinai.

It was reported that Channel 14 intensified its campaign at the start of 2025, launching direct attacks against the Israeli military, accusing it of failing to take strong action against Egypt over what it called violations of the peace agreement in Sinai.

The campaign began with reports claiming that the threat to “Israel” was coming from the south, in contrast to the Israeli military's downplaying of the situation.

On February 18, 2025, one of the main program titles on Channel 14 read: “What’s behind the Egyptian military buildup and is the fear of war justified?”

The following day, anchor Tal Meir responded on the Israel This Morning program, stating, “Israel is not ready for war with Egypt.”

She noted that, unlike Hamas, Egypt is a major state with a powerful military, presenting a different kind of threat—one that Israel must be ready for.

Its Impact and Influence

The official Israeli approach has led commercial channels to adopt a new editorial line that aligns with the government’s media rhetoric.

Ido David Cohen of Haaretz noted that Israeli television channels have become a larger version of Channel 14, particularly in how they cover the Gaza war, fiercely defending the government’s narrative while intentionally ignoring the atrocities committed by the Israeli army.

Israeli affairs specialist Saleh al-Naami said, “Perhaps one of the clearest examples of Israeli channels competing to appeal to audience’s vengeful instincts is Channel 14, as highlighted by Yasmin Levy, media critic at Haaretz.”

Levy discussed how Channel 14’s talk-show host, Dany Kushmaro, filmed himself pressing a button on a device held by a Golani Brigade officer to detonate a house in southern Lebanon during the latest assault, a moment that was broadcast live during the Friday Studio program.

This reality has led to the consolidation of a pattern of militarized journalism, which some in “Israel” believe harms the country's strategic interests, as noted by al-Naami.

The Times of Israel said Tel Aviv is not merely aiming to reshape the media system to serve the right-wing political narrative but also to comply with religious authorities who view the use of media as essential for promoting “juridical” justifications for the displacement of Palestinians.

The newspaper also mentioned that Communications Minister Karhi openly acknowledges Rabbi Meir Mazuz as his sole religious authority, noting that Mazuz is known for his enthusiasm for the ideas of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the Kach movement in the late 1970s.

Kach is the first political movement in “Israel” to publicly advocate for the expulsion of Palestinians and is classified as a terrorist organization by European Union countries.

Regarding the dangers of Israeli Occupation’s new approach, Yahya Abdullah, Professor of Israeli Studies at Mansoura University in Egypt, said, “Channel 14 is supported by most right-wing parties, serving their expansionist, aggressive, and racist agenda."

“It is systematic and institutional populism; the channel is considered a mouthpiece for the Israeli political right, especially Likud, led by Netanyahu, and its programs provide clear support for him.”

Some Likud Knesset members, including the party leader Netanyahu, Religious Zionist party leader Bezalel Smotrich, and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri, have urged Israelis to watch the channel.

“Every Israeli media outlet fuels incitement against Palestinians, but Channel 14 takes it to another level—pushing the boundaries of crudeness and populism with its hosts and handpicked guests,” Abdullah added.