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The Monday Knesset faction meetings of each political party usually follow a similar and often bbad pattern.
Journalists and party officials gather in the faction's conference room to hear the party leader make a statement about the issues of the day and sometimes answer a few questions. The press is then introduced to allow lawmakers to debate the week's legislative agenda behind closed doors.
In recent years, however, meetings of the Likud factions have regularly turned into pro-Netanyahu mini-rallies. Dozens of party activists were present to greet the Prime Minister in the hall and congratulate him during his speech.
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At one of these meetings, in January 2017, shortly after the police opened a criminal investigation against him, devoted supporters embarked on a "Bibi Melech Yisrael" tour, replacing the biblical chant of "David is the king of Israel "to use the Prime Minister's nickname.
On Monday, the Minister of Culture, Miri Regev, tried to interfere in the succession of meetings by organizing her own press conference at the same time as the parties met. She also took advantage of the Premier's book to fill the room entirely with her own supporters.
But his hastily organized rally, called after Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Yisrael Beytenu's president, Avigdor Liberman, blocked the pbadage of a bill that would have given Regev the power to to suspend the funding of the arts according to political criteria, did not deserve the adoration of its supporters. Minister Likoud but for their animosity towards the journalists who cover it.
Minister of Culture Miri Regev attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem on 1 July 2018. (Ohad Zwigenberg / Pool)
A furious Regev had called the press conference before the meeting of the Yisrael Beytenu faction to put Liberman on the backside and force him to answer him. The former defense minister, however, pushed his two-hour party meeting just ahead of Regev's party, which prevented him from blocking his critics.
After a typically unrestrained appearance of Liberman, in which he asked many questions to support only the bill on the loyalty of culture in exchange for support of his own agenda, the journalists were upset that Regev would answer no questions. questions from the press.
His spokesman made an announcement to that effect. The reporters protested against this claim, saying it was unfair and unprofessional to invite them to a "press conference", but to allow no questions.
"This is the ABC of media relations," complains a journalist, while the other threatened to leave in droves if the questions of the press were not heard.
Regev finally gave in, allowing the journalists in the room to challenge his claims that Kahlon and Liberman "gave a gift to the terrorists" by refusing to support his bill. But his followers were less willing to give in.
While the reporters asked their questions, the pro-Regev activists in the room repeatedly interrupted, trying to answer for themselves and, in some cases, whispering and even calling offensive epithets to the press.
One activist described a female correspondent as "slut" for asking a question, while another described a religious journalist as "traitor". When this journalist challenged some of the turbulent activists, he was called a "son of a bitch".
י שאלות זה לא מסיבת עיתונאים. וד לחבריי@akivanovick ו@chaimlevinson pic.twitter.com/KGtXbHWR9w
– רועי שרון Roy Sharon (@ roysharon11) November 26, 2018
Animosity towards journalists is not uncommon at Likud events. Netanyahu has a reputedly media-savvy relationship, regularly accusing him of "witch hunts," dismissing some journalists as biased and untrustworthy, and denouncing critical criticism as "false information." And his followers often have suit.
But the treatment of journalists at Monday's protest was almost unprecedented for a "press conference" in the Knesset, where political journalists are expected to be able to cover events freely and without fear of intimidation.
A member of the Knesset's security unit who oversees the press conference intervened at one point, warning a supporter of Regev that such behavior was not allowed in parliament, but no activists have been asked to leave nor reprimanded for his insults.
Responding to a request for apology by Regev reporters, his spokesman denied that the activists were brought to the press conference by the minister and said their actions were "no his responsibility ". He added that since Regev had not heard insults, "she has nothing to answer or condemn."
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