Channel 13 Suspends Presenter Eyal Berkovic Over Remarks Condemned as Racist

Israeli broadcaster Channel 13 News suspended television presenter Eyal Berkovic from broadcasting on Sunday after remarks he made on air were widely condemned as racist. It is the second controversy involving the presenter in just over a week, following a confrontation with fellow presenter Lucy Aharish.

According to a report published Sunday by Israeli entertainment news outlet TMI, Berkovic questioned the academic credentials of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who was elected to the US Senate from Michigan, during Saturday night's broadcast of the Channel 13 program "Moria and Berko." He later cast doubt on the medical qualifications of Israeli lawmaker Ahmad Tibi.

Channel 13 News announced the suspension shortly after the incident, saying it took effect immediately. The network did not say how long the suspension would last or when Berkovic might return to the air.

"Freedom of expression and a diversity of opinions are among the cornerstones of a free press, but they do not provide a platform for racist remarks," the network said in a statement. "The statements made yesterday on 'Moria and Berko' are unacceptable and inconsistent with the company's values. As a result, a clarification meeting was held with Eyal Berkovic, at the conclusion of which it was decided to suspend him from broadcasting immediately."

The exchange began when Channel 13 political reporter Suleiman Maswadeh referred to El-Sayed, a Democrat known for his outspoken criticism of Israel, using the title "doctor." Berkovic challenged the description, asking, "They give everyone there the title of doctor. Did you check whether he's a doctor?"

Co-host Moriah Asraf clarified that El-Sayed did in fact hold the qualification. Berkovic then turned to Tibi, an Arab Israeli member of the Knesset, saying: "They also say Ahmad Tibi is a doctor. So they say. Let him bring his diploma."

El-Sayed is a physician and epidemiologist with a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford University. Tibi is a trained gynecologist.

The comments drew widespread criticism on social media, including from prominent Israeli journalists. Channel 12 journalist Barak Ravid wrote that "racism is not a legitimate opinion or a matter of being for or against."

The suspension comes just over a week after Berkovic faced criticism over a separate incident involving Channel 13 presenter Lucy Aharish, an Arab Israeli journalist. During a commercial break, Berkovic told her, "Calm down, you're not in your village here." Aharish accused him of racism and initially refused to return to the broadcast, though she later came back on screen.