Israel Frey

Israel Frey
ישראל פריי
BornFebruary 1987
CitizenshipIsraeli
Occupation(s)journalist, far-left activist

Israel Frey (Hebrew: ישראל פריי, born February 1987) is an Israeli journalist and activist.[1]

Early life and family

Frey grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the Ger Hasidic community, an ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism, and has two siblings.[2] His grandfather, Yehuda Meir Abramowicz, was a rabbi and a member of the Knesset (MK) for the Agudat Yisrael party.[2][3] Due to his political beliefs, he refused to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[3] He has two children and divorced in 2024.[4][2]

Career

Frey began his journalism career working for Haredi outlets, including Radio Kol Chai and Kav Itonut Datit newspapers. One of his tweets sparked controversy when he referred to rabbis as "scum" for supporting Israeli settlers. He was fired under pressure from right-wing activists like Itamar Ben-Gvir.[2]

Frey began working at DemocraTV in 2021, an independent station which frequently criticizes Benjamin Netanyahu.[2][1] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he reported on the lack of observance of COVID prevention rules in the Haredi community.[2][5] He attributed this nonobservance to the importance of communal events in Haredi traditions and rituals.[6][7]

Frey tweeted in September 2022 support for a Palestinian man who had been detained on suspicion of planning an attack in Jaffa, praising the man for targeting soldiers instead of attacking civilians.[8][9][5] The tweet sparked a backlash, and he was fired by DemocraTV a few months later.[1] According to Frey, DemocraTV demanded that he delete the tweet. DemocraTV leadership countered that Frey was let go because of misconduct, not due to his tweets.[2][5]

In another tweet about the killing of an Israeli soldier in East Jerusalem, Frey wrote that attacking Israeli soldiers is not terrorism.[10][9] Frey was arrested in December 2022 on suspicion of inciting terrorism due to his tweets and was released after questioning.[8][11] His attorney claimed that it was "political arrest aimed at...intimidating...anyone in the opposition".[8] His arrest was criticized by the Union of Journalists in Israel as an attack on the freedom of the press.[9][5]

He is a contributor to Middle East Eye.[8]

Gaza war

Frey posted a video of himself praying the Kaddish for both the Israelis killed in the October 7 attacks and the Palestinian civilians killed by the IDF in the Gaza war.[12][1][13] He received threatening messages as a result[14][15] and he was doxxed with his address details being shared online.[12][16][17] A crowd of protesters attacked his home in Bnei Brak on the evening of October 14, 2023 with flares and fireworks and attempted to break in.[1][15][16][18] A neighbor convinced the crowd to allow Frey's wife and two children to leave.[17] Frey was evacuated a few hours later with the assistance of the police who, according to him, spit on him and accused him of supporting Hamas.[15][19][16] The police escorted him to his car, and he drove away. Upon realizing that he was being followed by some of the protesters, he drove to Ichilov Hospital. He was eventually able to escape with the help of a friend and hospital security.[15][19][17]

The police briefly detained one protester outside his home for refusing to leave. They later made a statement denying Frey's claims of misconduct.[15] Israeli MK Ofer Cassif accused the police of delaying their response to the incident because they did not want to protect a left journalist.[20] Frey was still in hiding as of April 2024.[13] The incident has been cited as an example of backlash against support for peace and Palestinian rights,[21][22][23] journalism,[24][25][26] and free speech[27][28][29] in Israel during the Gaza war.

After he tweeted that a Palestinian who attacks Israeli soldiers or settlers should not be considered a terrorist but a hero fighting their oppressor, Frey was detained and interrogated in March 2025 on suspicion of inciting terrorism.[1][30] Upon his release, he condemned the arrest as a "witch hunt" and stated that he "distinguishes between condemnable harm to innocents and resistance to security forces."[30]

Frey regularly attends the Israeli hostage deal protests in Tel Aviv[1] and has posted footage of Israeli police detaining protesters.[31]

Views

Frey's views are considered by the Times of Israel to be on the far-left,[1], whilst Haretz and Jerusalem Post describe him as left wing.[2][9] He has been critical of the Israeli government[8][10] and has advocated for Israelis to refuse to serve in the IDF.[1] He believes that Palestinian attacks on Israeli soldiers are not terrorism,[1][10][32] stating that "it’s legitimate for oppressed people to strike at their oppressors".[2][3] He believes in equality for everyone who lives in Israel and Palestine.[1][10][3]

According to Frey, the Gaza war was caused by Israel's "comprehensive plan to crush" Palestinians,[17] and has stated that the full political spectrum of Israeli society, from right to left, is mobilized to view Palestinians as "ISIS, Nazis, and sub-human".[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Police detain far-left reporter for praising attacks on soldiers, settlers". The Times of Israel. 2025-03-12. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sharir, Moran (2023-01-13). "Journalist Israel Frey: 'If I were Palestinian I would have been jailed and disappeared'". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2023-01-13. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  3. ^ a b c d "'Looking the Occupation in the eye': testimonies of Palestinians' rights defenders before a UN Commission of Inquiry" (PDF). UNOHCHR. May 2021.
  4. ^ "המאבטח שהדליף את התמונה של ישראל פריי פוטר | ישראל היום". Israel Hayom. 2024-07-07. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  5. ^ a b c d Breiner, Josh (2022-11-28). "Journalist Summoned Over Tweet Praising Palestinian Who Planned Tel Aviv Attack". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28.
  6. ^ "They're key allies of Benjamin Netanyahu. They're also fueling Israel's big COVID-19 spike". Los Angeles Times. 2020-10-25. Archived from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  7. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (2021-02-02). "COVID-19: Need for haredi communal life outweighs virus risks - analysis". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Israeli police arrest journalist over tweet praising Palestinian suspected fighter". Middle East Eye. 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  9. ^ a b c d "Israeli left-wing journalist released after arrest on suspicion of inciting terrorism". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  10. ^ a b c d Levi, Liran (2022-12-27). "Haredi journalist detained for alleged incitement to terrorism". Ynetnews. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  11. ^ Atzili, Boaz (2023-01-05). "Israel's Netanyahu facing off against the supreme court and proposing to limit judicial independence - and 3 other threats to Israeli democracy". The Conversation. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  12. ^ a b Borger, Julian (2023-10-22). "'An atmosphere of fear': free speech under threat in Israel, activists say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  13. ^ a b England, Andrew (2024-04-02). "Israelis turn on peace activists amid trauma of war". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  14. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (2023-10-26). "At least 24 journalists have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza". NPR. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  15. ^ a b c d e Cohen, Ido David (2023-10-15). "Far-right Israelis threaten, attack left-wing journalist who prayed for Gaza victims". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-30. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  16. ^ a b c John, Tara; Beilin, Lottie (2023-12-03). "Why Israel's peace activists are re-evaluating their position on the war". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  17. ^ a b c d Gessen, Masha (2023-11-08). "Inside the Israeli Crackdown on Speech". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  18. ^ Allsop, Jon (2023-10-17). "The toll on the press so far in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  19. ^ a b "Israeli journalist who expressed solidarity with Palestinians attacked by mob". Middle East Eye. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  20. ^ "Israeli Arabs arrested over Gaza social media posts". BBC News. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  21. ^ England, Andrew (2024-04-02). "Israelis turn on peace activists amid trauma of war". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  22. ^ Soussi, Alasdair (2023-11-02). "Pro-Palestinian Israelis face threats, but vow to keep fighting for peace". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  23. ^ Scheindlin, Dahlia (2023-11-12). "Israel: The Left in Peril". The New York Review of Books. Archived from the original on 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  24. ^ Allsop, Jon (2023-10-17). "The toll on the press so far in Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  25. ^ "Israel's War on Journalists". Jewish Currents. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  26. ^ Mandour, Mohamed; Daoud, Doja; Culebras, Ignacio Miguel Delgado; Alsharif, Samir (2025-02-04). "Attacks, arrests, threats, censorship: The high risks of reporting the Israel-Gaza war". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  27. ^ Borger, Julian (2023-10-22). "'An atmosphere of fear': free speech under threat in Israel, activists say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  28. ^ Gessen, Masha (2023-11-08). "Inside the Israeli Crackdown on Speech". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Archived from the original on 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  29. ^ Goldman, Lisa (2023-11-01). "Israel's Freedom of Expression Falls Victim to the War in Gaza". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  30. ^ a b "Israeli Police Interrogate Left-wing ultra-Orthodox Journalist on Suspicion of Incitement to Terrorism". Haaretz. 2025-03-12. Archived from the original on 2025-03-12.
  31. ^ "Israeli strikes kill 66 a day after ceasefire talks resume". New Arab. 2025-01-04.
  32. ^ Landsmann, Carolina (2025-03-14). "Israel Frey's persecution exposes Israel's intolerance for dissent". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 2025-03-14. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  33. ^ "Sight of Hamas fighters celebrating in Gaza chills Israelis". Middle East Eye. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
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