A report conducted by The Seventh Eye using the Sub-text system demonstrates how Channel 14 engaged in a campaign of propaganda and incitement surrounding the abuse case in "Sde Teiman" detention camp, which transformed in the propaganda apparatus serving the accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into "the Military Advocate General Affair."

The campaign relied on disinformation and manipulations, exploiting national sentiments and social rifts in order to incite against the law-enforcement system and the free press, labeling senior officials and journalists as traitors to the state.

Channel 14 relied on false claims (“the video is doctored,” “the detainee is a Nukhba terrorist,” the indictment is “a blood libel”) and flipped the narrative (the publication of the abuse harmed Israel, not the abuse itself) in order to promote conspiracy theories (“deep state,” "fabricated cases"), undermining public trust in state institutions and the media.

The "Sde Teiman" abuse case, in which IDF prison guards brutally assaulted a bound and blindfolded detainee, seriously injuring him, according to the indictment filed against them, has become one of the central pillars of the broad campaign waged by the propaganda apparatus serving Netanyahu against the law-enforcement and judicial systems, in an effort to extricate him from his criminal trial on charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust.

The propaganda apparatus serving Netanyahu, often referred to as the “Poison Machine,” specializes in identifying the fault lines within Israeli society and tapping into national, ethnic, and religious sentiments in order to deepen them, inflame them, and incite conflict, all to reap political gains and undermine the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances at the core of a democratic regime.

The propaganda apparatus identified the abuse case early on as an ideal vehicle for mounting an incitement campaign against the judicial system — in this instance, the Military Advocate General’s Office, a body that had been virtually anonymous to most of the public and received almost no media attention — and linking it to the law-enforcement system as a whole, and specifically to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The former military prosecutor, Brigadier General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, and the accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photos: Flash90)

The campaign centered on the figure of the Military Advocate General, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, and on the video leaked to Guy Peleg of News 12, which documented the abuse. Netanyahu, his associates, and his proxies exploited national sentiments to incite against the prosecutor who dared to “air the dirty laundry in public.”

One of the peaks of the brutal abuse inflicted on the detainee caused him rectal injury. This injury initially led to the suspicion that an object had been inserted into the detainee’s anus, an assault that, in legal terms, could be considered rape. It was later determined that one of the soldiers had stabbed the detainee "only" near the anus, and therefore was not charged with rape or an indecent act.

This development led to an update of the talking points in the incitement campaign against the Military Advocate General, the Military Advocate General’s Office, and the media, who were accused of spreading a “blood libel” against IDF soldiers; who it turned out, had not raped the bound detainee but had "only" beaten him across his entire body, electrocuted him, broken his ribs, and more.

The campaign was reinvigorated when it emerged that the Military Advocate General, although authorized to provide the video to the media, chose to deny that she had ordered its release, submitting a false affidavit to the court in the process.

The Military Advocate General’s allegedly criminal conduct further intensified the Netanyahu-aligned campaign’s efforts to obscure the details of the severe abuse and the subsequent indictment, and to continue asserting that what harms state security is the handling and prevention of war crimes, not the war crimes themselves.

The incitement campaign was accompanied by claims ranging from manipulative and misleading to outright lies, all meant to serve as a platform for grave accusations, including treason, and, inevitably, what such accusations imply: violent action.

The incitement campaign on Channel 14

The "Poison Machine" is a heterogeneous entity, with some of its components unconnected to each other and some operating independently, yet they resonate similar messages that can often be traced back to a central source from which they emanate, a source that can often be linked to Netanyahu's circle or even Netanyahu himself - who of course denies any connection to the operation of the propaganda apparatus.

One of the cornerstones of the apparatus is Channel 14, a television channel that reaches hundreds of thousands of viewers, focused on broadcasting current affairs content all blatantly skewed to serve the shifting interests of Netanyahu and his government, and containing fake news, government propaganda, and incitement to violence.

"Sub-Text" is an an AI-based information collection, monitoring, and analysis system developed and used by The Seventh Eye to conduct ongoing tracking and monitoring of the Israeli media. Among the categories defined for media monitoring are propaganda, fake news, the dissemination of conspiracy theories, and incitement. An examination of Channel 14’s coverage of the Military Advocate General Affair revealed numerous findings across all of these categories.

In a series of public reports, The Seventh Eye defined a coverage pattern characterized as "Anti-Media", a propaganda tool masquerading as a media outlet, and demonstrated how it manifests in Channel 14 broadcasts, and why it should not be regarded as a journalistic medium. The Seventh Eye continues to monitor the channel's broadcasts and demonstrate how it serves Netanyahu's government, not the public, and does so through improper and manipulative means.

Prime Minister Netanyahu promotes Channel 14 on his Twitter account (screenshot)

Here are several selected examples from broadcasts over three days in late October and early November, from "The Patriots", the channel’s flagship program, and from the program labeled a "News Edition", which uses the appearance and packaging of a news studio to broadcast government propaganda.

At the core: taking the affair, linking it to the "deep state" conspiracy and the twin "fabricated cases" conspiracy, while labeling members of the law enforcement and mainstream media as traitors leading a plot aimed at harming the supreme leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people (which of course is identified with Netanyahu's supporters).

As "The Patriots" panelist Itamar Fleishman explained it: “Remember one thing: there is a deep state in Israel. A shadow government that’s an incestuous fusion of a reckless media and an intelligence organization that’s gone out of control, a legal system that abuses its own citizens, commits endless criminal offenses, and a Supreme Court that backs all of it. This deep state must be toppled. And I hope this is the first brick.”

Propaganda, fake news, and incitement were not found only on "The Patriots", but also in the program claiming to be the channel’s main news edition. The tone of the broadcasts and the framing of Netanyahu’s spin were set by his close associate and political advisor, Yaakov Bardugo, defined as a "senior political analyst" on the channel and even hosting a program there.

Yaakov Bardugo, Netanyahu's political advisor, in his capacity as a "political commentator" on Channel 14 (screenshot)

On October 29, 2025, the political advisor explained: "We’re talking here about an affair that comes from Gali Baharav-Miara, from the Attorney General through the Military Advocate General, through Channel 12; this is the framing of this event." The next day, he repeated the exact same words: “Exactly, ah, the Attorney General, the Military Advocate General, and News 12; this is the framing of this event.” In the following news edition, he repeated it again, word for word: “Look, ah, Lital [Shemesh], this thing, this affair is very, very big. We’re talking about… I’ll frame it, the Attorney General, the Military Advocate General, and Channel 12. Regarding the Military Advocate General, it’s already becoming, ah, actually a secondary matter.”

Among the many serious and false statements made on Channel 14, one can find the lie of "The cooked video": "This was one of the affairs that tore society in two... and the serious leak of a false and cooked video, which damaged the reputation of the IDF soldiers worldwide" it was claimed in the "news" studio.

On The Patriots, it was claimed that the leak of the video by the Military Advocate General is "nothing less than an earthquake. It is, first and foremost, something that is almost treason. If, God forbid, this publication is true, the Military Advocate General must be behind bars. And the people of Israel must understand that the deep state is dangerous. It is dangerous to our soldiers and commanders. It is dangerous to security."

Promotion of the "Deepstate" conspiracy in connection with the “Sde Teiman” abuse affair, Channel 14 (screenshot)

The “serious damage caused by the video’s publication” campaign received special emphasis in a "report" by broadcaster Yishai Friedman: "Here is the report we prepared regarding the damage created by this leak… the Sde Teiman affair caused enormous security and reputational damage to the State of Israel. There are quite a few examples of how the video’s leak by figures in the Military Advocate General’s office was allegedly turned into an propaganda attack against Israel."

On The Patriots, they hosted the wife of one of the soldiers accused of abusing the bound prisoner, who said: "This is a video that didn’t just harm us, the soldiers and our families; it’s a video that harmed every Jew and every Israeli, harmed the State of Israel and its security, and resonated around the world."

The "blood libel" lie was also present in the channel’s broadcasts. For example, News Edition host Maggie Tabibi presented a question from a "survey": "Who is primarily responsible for the blood libel against IDF soldiers from Unit 100? Note the results: 40 percent say the Military Advocate General, 12 percent Channel 12, 10 percent the Attorney General, 38 percent have no opinion." Not only is the question phrased in a false and biased manner, but the answer options themselves reinforce the central spin promoted on the channel by Bardugo.

"This video caused hatred towards our soldiers all over the world, caused hatred towards the state of Israel, over an incident that never happened", says attorney Ephraim Dimri, one of the regular panelists on the channel and who also represents one of the soldiers accused of abuse.

The inciting "survey" on Channel 14 (screenshot)

Tamir Morag, one of the channel’s broadcasters, said that the affair is a "blood libel against IDF soldiers, which caused unprecedented damage to Israel in the world."

"This is a blood libel, and I will continue to say it," said the accused soldier’s wife on "The Patriots". "There is deceit here, there is a lie, there is a blood libel, there is… a fabricated case. And there is something much bigger, and it’s not personal about these soldiers; it’s personal about the State of Israel."

In response, the studio panel replied: "Enough, there was a crazy conspiracy here. Look, this is, this is amazing. It’s amazing, and… the whole event is insane. Yes, it involves the terrorist Nukhba. It’s about his claim, which is convincing, like Irit [Linor] said, they convince him to file a complaint, they fabricate accusations that they raped him."

In reality, of course, he is not a Nukhba  terrorist but a Palestinian police officer, who was even released home as part of the hostages deal, which did not include terrorists who participated in the attack on October 7. This is yet another of the blatant lies that accompanied the channel’s coverage of the affair.

The incitement is escalating

As noted, in addition to disinformation, government propaganda, and the dissemination of conspiracies, Channel 14 also promotes incitement against the Military Advocate General, portraying her conduct as a threat to state security and treason and framing her actions as malicious.

"Here we are, sitting in studios under fluorescent lights, people’s lives have been ruined… Israel was harmed, Israel’s security was harmed, Jews around the world were harmed," claimed panelist Yotam Zimri on "The Patriots". "You know, they talked about Ben Gvir, 'he spoke about the prisoners’ conditions, he harmed the hostages'. What do you think the Hamas kidnappers did after this video was released showing a prisoner being raped?… There is no clearer harm to the state’s security than this.”

Later in the program, Zimri adds: "In the "Sde Teiman" affair, there was treason. Treason by the media, treason by the army, treason by everyone involved in this event. And treason must come with a price."

At times, the statements on the channel combined multiple elements of propaganda and incitement, such as the following quote from "The Patriots" that "This is a case of serious treason that cannot remain confined to Sde Teiman. This event needs to influence the way we all perceive everything: the Attorney General, the judicial reform, the appointments to the Supreme Court, all of these things. Because what has been revealed here is exactly what we say about other places," (Yotam Zimri).

Not only the channel’s broadcasters, but also Likud ministers, regular guests on the channel alongside Netanyahu, who consistently boycotts other news channels and appears only on Channel 14, took an active part in the campaign.

In his remarks, Likud minister Eli Cohen, who appeared in the "news edition" aired on November 1st, combined disinformation and incitement: "The Military Advocate General is supposed to be the guardian, the protector of IDF soldiers, and instead, she stabbed them in the back. Even I, as someone who served as Foreign Minister, saw that the leaked cooked video caused damage… I saw the charges regarding the investigation… In this case, in my view, this is an act of treason. Going against IDF soldiers, reserve soldiers… and acting against them? In my view, there is simply no other word."

Defense Minister Israel Katz appeared that same evening on "The Patriots" and declared that the Military Advocate General’s office is focused on "protecting our bitterest enemies" instead of having “the protection of IDF soldiers as its top priority.”

"It is not a leak; it is abandonment and defamation," says panelist Fleishman in "The Patriots", "Here came a highly powerful figure against IDF soldiers, civilians, who did nothing, dealing with the worst scum on earth, inventing that they were rapists… This is not a leak, it’s a serious criminal offense aimed at causing severe harm to our soldiers and to the state’s security." For those who didn’t grasp the subtext, it was clarified later in the program that "there is soldiers’ blood on the Military Advocate General’s decisions."

Incitement Against the Media

The attack on law enforcement is intertwined with an attack on the media, which has been cast as the primary enemy in the ongoing campaign Netanyahu has waged since entering the political arena in the last century. For Channel 14, the incitement campaign against the mainstream media also carries a commercial benefit, as these are direct competitors vying for the same advertising budgets and audience.

"Look, on Channel 12, you need to understand something," said panelist Fleischman on "The Patriots". "You need to understand, this isn’t happening just here, it’s not happening just here. They lie to you about everything. No matter the topic, from Netanyahu’s trial to the hostages. There isn’t a word of truth on that channel, stop consuming this poison."

Guy Peleg (right) and Yinon Magal (Photos: Moshe Shai and screenshot)

Later, host Yinon Magal, who previously described himself as "a tool for conveying messages" from Netanyahu, focused the attack on a specific journalist and linked it to Netanyahu’s trial, the central cause of the entire campaign: "Give me Guy Peleg on Netanyahu’s trial… so you understand what’s been happening here for years, not just in this case, that’s true. Wherever you stick your head in, wherever you touch, it’s all corrupt. It’s simply a crazy event.".

“Look at this man, how he even dares to show his face outside his house today. Sitting in a studio, in poison-panic-propaganda-despair-depression-submission-and-shame-12. And how does he speak about Prime Minister Netanyahu in his trial? It’s been like this for years. And the texts and all that, from the investigations and everything with contempt, to humiliate and disgrace the camp, the head of the camp, the Prime Minister, everything. Until it finally reaches the point of harming IDF soldiers, harming them with the claim that they raped the Nukhba terrorist. That’s this face.”

In the days following the sampled broadcasts on the channel, the far-right organization "Torat Lehima" hung a sign on a major bridge calling for the imprisonment of Peleg, using terminology common on the channel; criminals affiliated with Otzma Yehudit and Likud attacked Peleg and blocked his car, forcing him to move around under close security (in at least one case, the security guard himself was detained by the security detail of Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a convicted criminal).

The Military Advocate General Affair and the sample of three days of incitement and propaganda on Channel 14 demonstrate how the channel consistently broadcasts government propaganda, disinformation, and severe incitement under the guise of news and current affairs. The results: undermining public trust in Israel’s law enforcement and judicial system, escalating violent attacks on journalists, weakening social cohesion in Israel, and eroding state institutions. An unimaginable price that Netanyahu and his supporters are willing to pay to thwart his trial.

This article was published in Hebrew on November 15, 2025