Eylon Levy, the telegenic Israeli government spokesperson who became internationally famous through his media appearances after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, has been suspended from his job, multiple Israeli outlets reported Tuesday.
According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, British-born Levy may ultimately be fired.
Neither the suspension nor the reason for it have been formally announced, but it comes after Levy provoked a minor diplomatic incident after arguing on social media with British officials, including Foreign Secretary David Cameron (whose position is equivalent to the U.S. Secretary of State).
On March 8, in a message posted to the site formerly known as Twitter, Cameron discussed the plan for U.S. and U.K. entities to deliver supplies to Gaza by sea, and added, “We continue to urge Israel to allow more trucks into Gaza as the fastest way to get aid to those who need it.”
In replies that have since been deleted, Levy said in part, “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,” he added.
According to Channel 12, this prompted U.K. government officials to formally ask if Levy was articulating Israel’s official position on the matter. Around the same time, Levy also argued about the matter with British MP Alicia Kearns.
If Levy is ultimately pushed out for exceeding his mandate as a spokesperson, it wouldn’t be the first tension he’s had with his government. In January, the Times of Israel reported that Sara Netanyahu, wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was attempting to have Levy removed over his participation in widespread protests over the Netanyahu government’s controversial changes to the country’s judiciary.
