Jerusalem: A prominent Israeli journalist known for breaking diplomatic scoops and critical coverage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received notice on Sunday he was being dismissed.
Barak Ravid, Channel 13 TV’s diplomatic correspondent, was among nearly 40 people who received dismissal letters from the station, Israeli media reported.
Anchorwoman Tali Moreno, veteran weatherman Danny Roop and political correspondent Akiva Novick were among other big names being let go. But it was Ravid’s dismissal that raised eyebrows.
Ravid has gained a reputation for breaking stories about Israel’s relations with the US, the European Union and other foreign partners. His reporting has upset Netanyahu at times, and the Prime Minister has publicly rebuked Ravid in the past.
In recent months, Ravid has had exclusive interviews with White House adviser Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s top Middle East adviser, and the foreign minister of Bahrain, an Arab country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. He also writes for the American news site Axios, and is known as a key source of information among Washington insiders and Middle East experts.
A person familiar with the situation at Channel 13 said Ravid’s dismissal letter cited him for having poor “professional results”. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing a personnel matter.
Read the article in The Sydney Morning Herald (AP).