The President's spokesperson, Hagit Cohen, said Wednesday morning that the outpouring of support for the President is unprecedented. "In my three years in this position as spokesperson, I have never seen such a deluge of expressions of support as now. The switchboard at the president's residence is collapsing from calls of solidarity, as is the fax machine."
Cohen further noted that the president's words entered the hearts of the public. "Many citizens particularly identify with President Katzav's criticism of the Israeli media," she noted.
In his speech, Katzav directly confronted Channel 2 – Israel TV's leading, semi-private channel – and its newscasters.
Obviously shaken by Katzav's offensive, media anchors made no attempt to feign objectivity, as they launched their counter attack. For close to an hour on prime time TV, the media had been under attack, and they had no way of cutting off the President, ganging up on him or censoring him as is custom on talk shows or pre-recorded reports.
The President, who was in control on his home turf at the official President's Residence, successfully managed to shut up an attempt by Channel 2's lead anchor Sukenik to interrupt his speech. In a dramatic verbal clash, Katzav silenced Sukenik's outbreak and when Sukenik continued interrupting, a member of the President's staff wrestled with the Channel 2 crew over control of their microphone.
Channel 1 TV's lead anchor Geula Even expressed indignation in a prime time panel featuring ultra-leftists Talia Sasson, formerly a top official in the State Prosecution, and MK Zehava Galon (Meretz). Geula Even chastised the President for "terrible incitement against the media" and "talking above the heads of the media for an entire hour and bypassing the journalists and Sukenik."
Geula Even asked Yossi Bar Muha, head of the Israel Journalists Union, if the president hadn't "lynched the media", and expressed shock by Katzav's hints that some of Israel's media members were less successful in maintaining their family life than his "37-year successful marriage." Bar Muha said Katzav was a liar, and declared that he knew for a fact that Katzav was guilty of the sexual charges against him.
The main editorial in the ultra-leftist Haaretz news service calls for the forced removal of the president Thursday morning. Ynet, Israel's most popular Hebrew news site, features a commentary quoting anonymous sources saying the president's speech was "riddled with untruth" and an opinion piece entitled "The Protocols of Moshe" by Guy Banyuvich. "In a horror show presented in broken Hebrew," wrote Banyuvich, "the President laid a row of explosive devices along the avenues of law and justice in Israel and set them off one by one." Banyuvich went on to compare Katzav's speech to the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Baruch Gordon contributed to this report.
Cohen further noted that the president's words entered the hearts of the public. "Many citizens particularly identify with President Katzav's criticism of the Israeli media," she noted.
In his speech, Katzav directly confronted Channel 2 – Israel TV's leading, semi-private channel – and its newscasters.
Obviously shaken by Katzav's offensive, media anchors made no attempt to feign objectivity, as they launched their counter attack. For close to an hour on prime time TV, the media had been under attack, and they had no way of cutting off the President, ganging up on him or censoring him as is custom on talk shows or pre-recorded reports.
The President, who was in control on his home turf at the official President's Residence, successfully managed to shut up an attempt by Channel 2's lead anchor Sukenik to interrupt his speech. In a dramatic verbal clash, Katzav silenced Sukenik's outbreak and when Sukenik continued interrupting, a member of the President's staff wrestled with the Channel 2 crew over control of their microphone.
Channel 1 TV's lead anchor Geula Even expressed indignation in a prime time panel featuring ultra-leftists Talia Sasson, formerly a top official in the State Prosecution, and MK Zehava Galon (Meretz). Geula Even chastised the President for "terrible incitement against the media" and "talking above the heads of the media for an entire hour and bypassing the journalists and Sukenik."
Geula Even asked Yossi Bar Muha, head of the Israel Journalists Union, if the president hadn't "lynched the media", and expressed shock by Katzav's hints that some of Israel's media members were less successful in maintaining their family life than his "37-year successful marriage." Bar Muha said Katzav was a liar, and declared that he knew for a fact that Katzav was guilty of the sexual charges against him.
The main editorial in the ultra-leftist Haaretz news service calls for the forced removal of the president Thursday morning. Ynet, Israel's most popular Hebrew news site, features a commentary quoting anonymous sources saying the president's speech was "riddled with untruth" and an opinion piece entitled "The Protocols of Moshe" by Guy Banyuvich. "In a horror show presented in broken Hebrew," wrote Banyuvich, "the President laid a row of explosive devices along the avenues of law and justice in Israel and set them off one by one." Banyuvich went on to compare Katzav's speech to the infamous Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
Baruch Gordon contributed to this report.