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Eylon Aslan Levy is an official Israeli government spokesman, serving since the start of 2023 Israel–Hamas war.

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. Moving to Israel in 2014 at the age of 23, he began his service in the Israeli military. In 2016, Levy worked as the chief news anchor at IBA News, and then at i24NEWS.

In 2021, Israeli president Isaac Herzog appointed him as his international media advisor at the Office of the President of Israel. Levy's work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Daily Telegraph.

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. Levy attended University College School in London, before going onto to Brasenose College at the University of Oxford, where he received his bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in 2013. While studying at Oxford, he participated in debate championships around the world. 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. Whilst at Oxford, Levy participated in a debate with George Galloway in which Galloway walked out after learning that Levy was an Israeli citizen. He moved to Israel in August 2014 at the age of 23. During his service in the Israel Defense Forces, he served in the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit.

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. Among his previously published works:

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

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.

Critical reception

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".

Contemplation of removing Levy as spokesperson

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.

Calling pro-Palestinian demonstrators "rape apologists"

In November 2023, host Lewis Goodall of radio show LBC asked Levy about his tweet 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".

Praise from Times of Israel

A December 2023 Times of Israel described positive characteristics of Levy during a typical interview, writing that Levy is

"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 a even hint of criticism [of Netanyahu] in him."

Stephen Games

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In December 2023, British political columnist Stephen Games criticised in detail, in his article Eylon Levy—or how not to do PR for Israel, in 30 easy steps, Levy's techniques during an interview with radio host Mishal Husain, a Briton of Pakistani background, on BBC Radio 4's Today.

In the article, Games provided an extensive set of thirty directives to refine Levy's approach to public relations and media interactions. Games emphasized the paramount importance of responding directly to questions, discouraging the use of evasive tactics or falling back on camouflage. The guidance extended to avoiding the utilization of circumstantial evidence in arguments, with Games stressing that the principles of admissibility in court should align with persuasive techniques in public relations.

A crucial aspect of the counsel was centered on maintaining composure throughout the interview, steering clear of exaggeration, and concentrating on delivering tangible, achievable information instead of making promises about the future. Levy was advised not to attack adversaries' figures without more reliable data to counteract them and to resist the temptation to interrogate the interviewer, instead focusing on providing substantive answers to questions.

Additionally, Games underscored the importance of steering clear of assertive or confrontational approaches, avoiding rude behavior such as talking across the interviewer, and refraining from establishing a case by repeating earlier answers. The guidance encouraged Levy to seize follow-up questions as valuable opportunities, ensuring they were not wasted and that he appeared fully engaged and attentive during the interview.

Professionalism was a recurring theme in the advice, discouraging complaints about the interview format, suggestions of interviewer impropriety, and the gratuitous use of the interviewer's name. A reminder to maintain self-respect underscored the directive to anticipate potential questions before an interview, ensuring all responses were effective and well-prepared. Games concluded by emphasizing the necessity of maintaining a professional demeanor throughout interactions with the media to cultivate a positive public image.

Sara Netanyahu

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 Israel's Eylon Levy from his spokesperson role from his 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.

Reported intention to remove Levy as spokesman

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.

In popular culture

The Eyebrow Incident and eyebrow memes

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".

Since the so-called "eyebrow incident", 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.

References

2. "Israel's prince of public diplomacy". Globes. 12 March 2023. Archived from the original on 17 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
3. "On Jewish anti-Zionism". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 6 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
4. "Grapevine: Taking the Jew(s) out of Britain". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 13 February 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
5. "Building a state in the shadow of the Holocaust". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 13 April 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
6. "Eylon Aslan-Levy". Tablet Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
7. "Obsessive Gaza coverage is fanning antisemitism | Eylon Aslan-Levy". the Guardian. 2014-08-07. Archived from the original on 2021-06-03. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
8. "Perspective | Israel won the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Any plan has to reflect that". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
9. ^ "Israel's newest, British-born international spokesperson is raising some eyebrows". Times of Israel.
10. 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.
11. "Eylon Aslan-Levy". OxPol. Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
12. "Notable Alumni - Brasenose College, Oxford". www.bnc.ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
13. "Eylon Aslan-Levy". aishcom. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
14. "Galloway walks out of debate with Oxford Israeli student". Varsity Online. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-05-19.
15. "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.
16. "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.
17. "Farewell, IDF; it's been an honor". blogs.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
18. "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.
19. 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.
20. Rosner, Shmuel; Fuchs, Camil (2019-08-29). #IsraeliJudaism: Portrait of a Cultural Revolution. JPPI, The Jewish People Policy Institute. ISBN 978-9657549261.
21. 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.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. Abebe, Danny Adeno (2021-04-20). From Africa To Zion. Yedioth Ahronoth and Chemed Books. ISBN 978-9652012869.
26. Shain, Yossi (2021-11-02). The Israeli Century: How the Zionist Revolution Changed History and Reinvented Judaism. Post Hill Press. ISBN 978-1642938456.
27. "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.
28. "Frayed". Koren Publishers. Archived from the original on 2023-12-24. Retrieved 2023-12-24.
29. "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.
30. Eylon Levy (19 November 2023). "Post on X by Eylon Levy". Retrieved 22 January 2024.
31. ^ 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.
32. "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.
33. ^ "Sara Netanyahu pushing to oust English-language spokesman Eylon Levy — report". Times of Israel. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
34. Levy, Eylon (24 November 2023). "Post by @EylonALevy". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 23 January 2024.
35. "Israeli gov't spokesman's reply to UK host's question about hostage deal goes viral". 23 November 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
36. 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

• Eylon Levy on X, formerly Twitter
• Eylon Levy on Instagram
• Eylon Levy on TikTok
• Eylon Aslan-Levy articles published in the Times of Israel
• List of press articles written by Eylon Aslan-Levy at Muckrack

• Alumni of the University of Oxford
• Alumni of the University of Cambridge
• British journalists
• British broadcasters
• British translators
• British writers
• Hebrew–English translators
• Israeli broadcasters
• Israeli journalists
• Israeli translators
• Israeli writers
• People of the Israel–Hamas war
• Living people
• Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
• British people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
• Political spokespersons