There was nothing ordinary about the two interviews that Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh gave to major media outlets identified with the right last weekend. These were not chance interviews, of course. They were part of a larger media strategy intended to temper the outrage that the right feels toward him.
Alsheikh is one of the most senior figures of the religious Zionist movement, holding a key position in the country’s leadership. He is also intimately familiar with the anger felt toward him in the very home and community where he grew up. The right believes that the Israel Police have been showing excessive motivation in bringing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to trial, where he could be ultimately convicted. On the advice of his media consultants, Alsheikh sat for a long and open interview with the editor of Makor Rishon, Haggai Segal, on March 23. This followed an interview with Channel 20 News on March 22, which is considered pro-Netanyahu. In both interviews, Alsheikh spoke at length about the various investigations of the prime minister and responded to the right’s criticism about his role in the investigations.
