Activities Update 2022
Activities Update
January – December 2022
Laura Cornfield
Director, MediaCentral
Dear Friends,
What a year it was!
As I look back at 2022 to write this annual report, several things come to mind.
After the country’s fifth national election in three and a half years, Israel finally established a government. MediaCentral was at the voting stations and candidate headquarters, and hosted a Zoom conference that explained the election results in the immediate aftermath.
During the summer, the IDF launched airstrikes inside Gaza, attacking terrorists belonging to Palestinian Islamic Jihad in a military operation dubbed “Operation Breaking Dawn.” This followed threats from Gaza after the arrest of an Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank. MediaCentral worked around the clock helping the international media follow developments during the brief conflict.
US President Joe Biden came to the Middle East with a stop in Israel. MediaCentral hosted events to explain the importance of the visit and the impact it would have on the region.
Immediately after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine, and explosions were heard all over the country, including its capital, MediaCentral invited Kyiv’s Chief Rabbi Jonathan Markovitch and his wife Inna to share their thoughts about the Ukrainian skies closing, as well as growing concerns among members of the local Jewish community.
MediaCentral is going above and beyond to satisfy our core mission: to connect reporters with local and foreign experts who provide members of the international media with crucial content for inclusion in their stories.
Despite sometimes difficult circumstances, we are continuing to support journalists — from our central Jerusalem office and in the field — by offering professional assistance as soon as news breaks anywhere in the world.
Thank you for your ongoing support, which allows us to make a tremendous difference in the way people around the world view Israel.
With wishes for good health and a happy 2023,
Laura Cornfield
MediaCentral Director
Statistics
January – December 2022
1,983
Articles Tracked
119
Events Hosted
1,261
Event Participants
463
Research requests
* COVID restrictions limited the number of on-site field tours and in-person events we were able to provide in the early part of the year.
Journalist Appreciation
I want to say that the tour to Nablus helped me to understand the situation. I wanted to write a story a long time ago. You provided us with good sources and information, (especially to be in the heart of Nablus in the middle of a funeral, all the gunmen showed up with their weapons, this is serious. Great work.)
The trip today was very valuable and well done.
Thank you so so much for helping us tell such an important story.
Thank you for orchestrating this presser.
Thank you very much, that's really great.
Thanks again and again for all your hard work helping us.
That was an amazing briefing.
Thank you so much for everything! It'll be a great story.
What amazing timing. I am writing an article on this exact topic tomorrow.
Thank you so much for everything.
FIELD TOUR
Pre-Christmas Tour to Bethlehem and Beit Sahour
On Dec 8, MediaCentral took 18 journalists on a pre-Christmas tour to Bethlehem and Beit Sahour.
Beit Sahour has one of the largest Christian communities in the Palestinian territories with around 14,000 inhabitants made up of 80% Christians — mostly Greek Orthodox — and 20% Muslims. It is home to many churches and convents.
The town’s economy is largely based on tourism and related industries, such as the manufacture of olivewood carvings.
Journalists heard from a Christian family, from the mayor of Beit Sahour about the preparations for Christmas in the city, visited the church of Shepherds’ Field, and met with the owner of an olivewood workshop.
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Amnesty International Accuses Israel of “Apartheid”
MediaCentral pre-empted Amnesty’s condemnation of Israel. A day before the organization’s report was published, we held a Zoom conference with Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lior Haiat and Atty. Anne Herzberg of NGO Monitor.
Some thirty outlets were on the call, including AP, New York Times, CNN, AFP, Bloomberg, ABC Australia, and VOA.
PROVIDING CRUCIAL CONTEXT TO JOURNALISTS
Below, are excerpts from a story quoting our speaker Lior Haiat filed by CNN’s Andrew Carey, who participated in the MC event:
In an online briefing with journalists held in advance of the report's publication, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Haiat said that Amnesty was "using double standards and demonization in order to delegitimize the existence of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people."
While the Israeli government response to the previous B'Tselem and HRW reports was critical, Haiat acknowledged concerns that the apartheid narrative is building, prompting a more combative approach this time. "Of course, there is a concern that people will believe those false accusations," Haiat said.
He pointed to Israel's governing coalition, which for the first time officially included Arab lawmakers in its ranks, as proof of what he termed "Israel's inclusive democracy."
AP’s Joseph Krauss was also on the call. Below is text from his piece that included content from the MC event:
Israel dismissed the previous reports as biased, but has adopted a far more adversarial stance toward Amnesty, accusing it of antisemitism and of delegitimizing Israel’s very existence even before the report was published.
"Its extremist language and distortion of historical context were designed to demonize Israel and pour fuel onto the fire of antisemitism," the Foreign Ministry said Monday.
FIELD TOUR
Israel Votes Again
In the weeks leading up to election day on November 1, MediaCentral brought journalists to meet with the Israeli Arab and Haredi communities whose votes would be decisive.
A field tour at the end of October with leading journalists explored the wide-ranging political views within the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community and included a briefing on the expected Haredi vote, a political panel with Knesset members from the various religious parties, and a meeting with ultra-orthodox voters and activists.
With Arab vote turnout being a decisive factor in whether or not Arab parties crossed the threshold for Knesset representation, MediaCentral took journalists to the heart of the story on a visit to Umm al-Fahm, Ara and Ara’ra in the Wadi Ara region. Journalists were able to hear directly from the local mayor and residents about why voter turnout might be low, as well as the internal politics and dynamics affecting the turnout.
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Abraham Accords in Action
The governments of Israel and the United Arab Emirates signed a historic free trade deal in Dubai on May 31, a move aimed at further boosting trade and investment ties between the two countries.
MediaCentral hosted Jonathan Medved, OurCrowd CEO, and Dr. Sabah al Binali, OurCrowd Arabia Partner and Executive Chairman.
There were two dozen outlets on the call, including The New York Times, Reuters, Wall Street Journal, Christian Broadcasting Network, The Circuit, and Voice of America.
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Operation Breaking Dawn
MediaCentral organized 5 briefings and 4 one-on-ones for journalists during the three-day operation.
All of the top-tier outlets took part in these conferences, including AP, Reuters, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Financial Times, VOA, CBS, Wall Street Journal, Sky News, Christian Broadcasting Network, Agence France-Presse, ARD (German public broadcaster), and Deutsche Presse Agentur (German press agency).
Immediately after the war broke out, MediaCentral held a strategic briefing by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror. Our analyst was cited in these outlets:
Hamas, which Israel says it wants to keep out of this, must now decide what it does next. If the group joins forces with PIJ and fires rockets into Israel, then things could escalate very quickly, and we could be looking at a second war in as many years.
Our intention is clear, to us and to Hamas,” said Yaakov Amidror, a retired general and former head of the Israeli National Security Council. “If Hamas comes in, it will bring the operation to another level.
MC Hosted Former Israel Air Force Commander Zvika Haimovich
Both AP and Reuters had our speakers quoted in their explainers. These articles were fed to hundreds of sites and, by all standards, were surprisingly balanced.
Once you will hit the commanders it will immediately affect all the organization,” said Zvika Haimovich, the former head of the Israeli military’s air defense force. “It immediately creates a big mess in the Jihad.
Zvika Haimovich, a former commander of the Israel Air Defense Forces who served in previous operations against Gaza in 2012 and 2014, said there were significant disagreements with PIJ that could make Hamas stay out. The direct immediate interest of Hamas is not to join this operation, he said. If Hamas joins this operation it will totally change the situation that we are talking about.
A one-on-one was arranged for AP, and our speakers were quoted here as well:
Lapid is in a much stronger position then he was before because the main claim against him is he is not experienced enough,” said Gayil Talshir, a political analyst from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. ”He might also be able to claim that he’s trying to achieve a change of paradigm” underpinning Israel’s Gaza policy. “It’s crucial to his campaign,” said Tal Schneider, a veteran Israeli political correspondent. “It’s helpful when you have more of a military activity experience when you go into an election.”
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Biden Visits Israel
On July 13, just before US President Joe Biden landed in Israel, MC hosted Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin to discuss the visit, Jerusalem’s expectations, and the opportunities ahead. Yadlin discussed the expected historic “strategic partnership,” its significance for Israel, the US, and other players in the region.
The technology initiative, called a “strategic dialogue,” will focus on fields including artificial intelligence, quantum information science and solutions to global challenges such as climate change and improving pandemic preparedness, according to a joint announcement.
Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israel’s military intelligence directorate, told reporters that the move “means that the United States recognizes Israel as a science and tech superpower,” and that it was important for the United States that “Israel will cooperate with it, and not with China.”
MediaCentral also hosted Aaron David Miller, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Adbel Aziz al-Khamis, Senior Saudi Journalist and Expert on Middle East Politics on the question of “How Will Biden’s Middle East Visit Impact US-Saudi Relations?”
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former U.S. State Department official, said Biden is looking forward to visiting Saudi Arabia “like I would look forward to a root canal operation.” “You’ve got a president who is terribly conflicted about this meeting, Miller said. He can’t even acknowledge, in all of his public remarks, that he’s even going to meet with Mohammed bin Salman.
These quotes were picked up by more than 300 articles from AP, including:
He’s going to face a region that’s long on problems with very few solutions,” said Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official who is now a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Israel Fights Booking.com "Safety Warning"
At the end of September, MediaCentral took a group of journalists to visit several guest houses that would be affected by the Booking.com “safety warning” to customers booking accommodation in Israeli settlements in the West Bank that they were traveling to a “disputed, conflict-affected or high-risk” area that “may pose greater risks.”
On Thursday, a day before Booking.com released its statement, JNS participated in a tour for journalists organized by the MediaCentral media liaison service in the area of the Megilot Dead Sea Regional Council (over the so-called green line), where bed and breakfast and other lodging accommodation and resort business owners said that the news of an upcoming travel warning by Booking.com, regardless of its wording, was already harming their businesses.
SPECIAL APPEARANCE
MediaCentral Director Addresses Jerusalem Post Conference
MediaCentral director Laura Cornfield spoke at the annual Jerusalem Post Conference in New York. Speaking on a panel alongside veteran New York Times columnist Bret Stephens and CEO of US News and World Report Eric Gertler, Cornfield stressed the need for support for foreign media in Israel and shared with the audience how MediaCentral provides contacts and sources for these journalists.
SPECIAL BRIEFING
Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi Speaks Following Russian Invasion
With Vladimir Putin having commenced a military operation in Ukraine, explosions were soon heard all over the country, including its capital, Kyiv.
MediaCentral invited Kyiv’s Chief Rabbi Jonathan Markovitch and his wife, Inna, to share their thoughts about the Ukrainian skies closing, as well as growing concerns among members of the local Jewish community.
Some content from the Zoom call was subsequently used in Newsweek along with nearly two dozen publications:
In addition, the MC event was quoted in several ABC Radio reports from Israel. We also put ABC’s senior international correspondent in touch with the rabbi and his wife, arranging an exclusive on-air interview that was included in World News Tonight.
BATTLE FOR UKRAINE: The battle for Ukraine is intensifying with Russian troops closing in on Kyiv, Ukraine as men aged 18-60 are called up to fight and not allowed to leave the country. @IanPannell is there. https://t.co/N6PX4MAjBa pic.twitter.com/R3RkEOQAkB
— World News Tonight (@ABCWorldNews) February 26, 2022
Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Dispute
Orna Mizrahi, expert on Lebanon and Senior Fellow at INSS, discussed the likely outcome of the festering maritime dispute, how it will impact the Middle East and the implications for the two countries at the center of the controversy.
Among the participants in the call were CNN, AP, AFP, Bloomberg and Financial Times.
Mizrachi was quoted on air and in dozens of articles by CNN’s Hadas Gold.
Orna Mizrahi, a senior research fellow at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, said in a briefing to reporters on Sunday that the main issue preventing an agreement between the two sides was a “change in the Lebanese stance” on where the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon lies.
Israeli Parliament Dissolves
On June 20, when news of the Israeli parliament being dissolved broke, MediaCentral immediately held a zoom conference with political analysts Aviv Bushinsky and Gil Hoffman. We were the first to offer background and up-to-date information to the foreign press.
The event resulted in dozens of articles in top tier outlets abroad.
Knesset Fails to Extend West Bank Emergency Law: Civil Implications for Israeli Citizens Beyond the Green Line
At the beginning of June, Israel’s government failed to pass a bill extending legal protections for Israeli West Bank residents. Since 1967, the emergency regulation had given this community the same rights as Israeli citizens. The failure to pass it by the end of June could have brought civilian life in these settlements to a grinding halt.
David Elhayani, Head of YESHA Council, and Prof. Avi Bell, an international legal expert, discussed the political ramifications and how legislative development will impact this community.
Field Tour
Ramifications of the Supreme Court's Decision to Uphold the Sale of Greek Orthodox Properties
Following the Supreme Court’s June rejection of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’s appeal against the Ateret Cohanim organization’s takeover of three buildings in Jerusalem’s Old City, MediaCentral arranged a tour and briefing with both sides – Ateret Cohanim and Arab tenants to hear about the current legal status and other related issues.
Normalization of Relations With Turkey
On August 17, following years of rocky relations, Israel and Turkey announced the normalization of full diplomatic ties between the countries. Former Israeli Consul General in Istanbul Moshe Kamhi and Dr. Gallia Lindenstraus discussed the historical step and its possible impact.
Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at Israel Institute for National Security Studies, said Turkey’s financial crisis was likely behind the renewed relations. Turkey needs to improve its economic standing to attract foreign direct investment.
Turkey needs to improve its economic standing to attract foreign direct investments. For this, It basically is doing normalization attempts toward many countries in the region. Another issue on the agenda is the desire of Turkey to purchase F-16 jets from the United States. And there is hope that somehow the pro-Israel lobby will be more positive to such a deal if relations between Israel and Turkey return to what they were,” says Lindenstrauss. Lindenstrauss says Turkey needs Israel’s natural gas and is moving towards normalization while a favorable government is in office. Israel wants to see Turkey cool its relations with Hamas. “From the Israeli side, we know a major bone of contention between the two countries is the presence of Hamas military activities on Turkish soil. We know that this is something that Israel wants Turkey to stop,” she says.
MC Arranges Interview Between Ukraine’s Chief Rabbi and International Media
March 3
Right after the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Rabbi Jonathan Markovitch landed at Ben Gurion Airport MC arranged his first one-on-one first interview, with the Associated Press’ Ilan Ben Zion.
The following quote was featured in AP’s “live updates,” and featured in 1.7K articles subsequently. The largest outlet to include content from the MC event was AOL.COM:
“BEN-GURION AIRPORT, Israel — The chief rabbi of Kyiv, Ukraine, says the Russian invasion has produced “a catastrophe,” and that most Jews have fled.
Jonathan Markovitch spoke as he arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport Thursday. He said the scene on the ground in Ukraine is “a catastrophe.
Planes are bombing places right next to residential buildings,” as well as a train station “maybe 100 meters from where my son lives and 50 meters from the synagogue.”
Most Jews, he said, have left the country. As he spoke, a group of about 150 young men and women held banners and sang as part of a welcome ceremony for new immigrants arriving from Ukraine.
Israel is expecting a wave of perhaps thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the invasion. So far this month, they’ve received a little over 500 people, the government says.”
Deep Dive Into Implications of Israel-Turkey Rapprochement
March 10
Former Consul General in Istanbul Moshe Kamhi and Dr. Gallia Lindenstrauss were hosted by MC, in a Zoom call about the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey. More than 100 articles were tracked that included references to the Media Central event – including the Daily Mail and Yahoo. Below are some examples:
Israel, Turkey Hail New Era After Years of Broken Ties
History, Made: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Touches Down in Bahrain
February 10
MediaCentral organized a pertinent analysis of the Israeli leader’s historic visit, with Dr. Yoel Guzansky, Senior Research Fellow at INSS and Abdullah al-Junaid, Prominent Bahraini Political Analyst.
75 articles resulted from the Zoom conference, including one in the Washington Post:
Below, is a quote from the Washington Post piece:
“Abdullah al-Junaid, a Bahraini political analyst, said players in the region have been disappointed to see Americans ‘go it alone,’ rather than formulate a cohesive regional approach, in attempts to contain threats from Iran.
‘We would definitely like to see a new approach to the ‘containment’ by the U.S. toward Iran, and believe that Vienna shouldn’t be the only course,’ he said.”
Salon Project With Lihi Lapid
March 28
In the first event of a new series titled ‘Salon project,’ MediaCentral hosted Lihi Lapid, the wife of Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, for an exclusive dinner.
There were eight top-tier journalists at the salon, from the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, AP, CBS, ABC radio and BBC. This gathering strengthened the bonds between these leading outlets and MediaCentral, and allowed them the opportunity to get to know a key influencer in Israeli society.
As a result, Lihi Lapid was written about in the Jewish Chronicle, and mentioned in a feature in the Jerusalem Report
Jewish Agency Launches Evacuation Efforts
March 2
Roman Polonsky, Jewish Agency Regional Director for FSU, Eastern Europe and Germany, provided important insights about the latest developments in Ukraine that were heard by more than two dozen journalists – including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and AFP.
Barron’s then picked up the story from AFP:
Meanwhile, our Zoom call resulted in six other Jewish publications running with the story:
L’Chaim! MC Organizes Tour of Local Whiskey Distillery
February 27
On a lighter note – MC hosted a tour to the Legends distillery in the Ella valley, the first American- style whiskey to be made in Israel. FYI, it cannot be called ‘bourbon’ because it is produced outside of the United States.
