‘Baron of manipulation’—Gideon Levy responds to his critics

Gideon Levy has come under attack from right-wing commentators in Israel following his interview with Johann Hari in the Independent.

The main attack came from Ben Dror Yemini in an article for Maariv, Israel's second-biggest newspaper (not available in English but Arutz Sheva have published a summary)

Here, Levy responds to Yemini in measured and dignified fashion:

When the substantive arguments are exhausted, the incitement begins; when one doesn't know how to contend with opinions and views, one calls them lies. When one wants to strangle those with other positions, one calls them "baron" and "industry." When the anti-critical atmosphere runs wild, making McCarthyism look like an enlightened movement, all the populist pen-pushers rush in. And when one wants to silence critics, they fabricate accusations.

Yemini has adopted the goal of battling the world's "industry of lies" against Israel. This, of course, is a worthy objective, certainly for propagandists. Yemini is one of the active among them; the baron of the manipulation industry. There is just one little problem: Even this war must be based on truth—a commodity that is superfluous for him and those like him.

Visit Ha'aretz to read the article in full.