When his criminal investigations began three years ago in December 2017, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took the stage at a large political rally in Tel Aviv and mocked reporter Moshe Nussbaum’s expressive eyebrows. The features are so well-known that they are practically a trademark for the veteran journalist, who covered the investigation. The crowd roared hysterically at the sight of the prime minister himself ridiculing the journalist. Nevertheless, the scathing coverage that Netanyahu received for this ugly stunt (inspired by President Donald Trump, Netanyahu’s advisers admit behind closed doors) eventually led Netanyahu to call Nussbaum to apologize.
Since then, Netanyahu has been indicted for bribery and his attacks against journalists he suspects of celebrating his downfall have only gotten worse. In fact, Netanyahu is openly spearheading a campaign to delegitimize certain journalists he finds especially odious. He calls them out by name and incites his supporters to smear them.
