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Israel Frey

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Israel Frey (Hebrew: ישראל פריי) is an Israeli journalist and activist of the far-left.[1]

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

Early life and family

Born in February 1987, Frey grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel, in the Ger Hasidic community, an ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism. He has two siblings.[2] Frey's grandfather, Yehuda Meir Abramovicz, was a rabbi and a politician in the Agudat Yisrael party.[2][3] Due to Frey's political beliefs, he did not enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).[3] Frey was divorced in 2024[4] and has two children.[2]

Early career

Frey began his journalism career working for Haredi outlets, including Radio Kol Hai 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]

Around 2021, Frey began working at DemocraTV, 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 "togetherness" in Haredi traditions and rituals.[6] In May 2021, he reported on settlers being bussed in from their illegal settlements to the Israeli city of Lod during Palestinian protests.[7]

In September 2022, Frey tweeted in support of a Palestinian man who had been detained on suspicion of planning an attack in Jaffa; Frey praised the man for targeting soldiers instead of attacking innocent people.[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. According to DemocraTV leadership, Frey was not let go due to his tweets but because of misconduct. Allegedly, Frey delayed a live broadcast until leadership discussed the tweet controversy with him and was banned from the building after shouting at and insulting staff.[2][5]

In another controversial tweet about the killing of an Israeli soldier in East Jerusalem, Frey wrote that attacking Israeli soldiers is not terrorism.[10][9] In December, Frey was arrested on suspicion of inciting terrorism due to his tweets; he was released after questioning.[8][11] Frey attributed his arrest to the right-wing Israeli government's desire to intimidate him.[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

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

The police briefly detained one protester outside Frey's home for refusing to leave. They later made a statement denying Frey's claims of misconduct.[15] Israeli politician Ofer Cassif accused the police of delaying their response to the incident because they did not want to protect a far-left journalist.[20] As of April 2024, Frey was still in hiding.[13] The incident has been cited as an example of backlash against far-left activism and journalism in Israel during the Gaza war.[18][21][13][13][22]

In March 2025, Frey was detained on suspicion of inciting terrorism after he tweeted that a Palestinian who attacks Israeli soldiers or settlers should not be considered a terrorist but a hero fighting their oppressor. He was released after a police interrogation.[1][23] Frey condemned his arrest as a "witch-hunt" and stated that he "distinguishes between condemnable harm to innocents and resistance to security forces."[23]

Frey regularly attends the Israeli hostage deal protests in Tel Aviv[1] and has posted footage of Israeli police detaining protesters.[24]

Views

Frey's views are considered to be on the far-left[1][2][9] and he believes the Israeli government is fascist.[8][10] Frey 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][25] stating that "it’s legitimate for oppressed people to strike at their oppressors".[2][3] Frey believes in equality for everyone who lives in Israel and Palestine.[1][10]

According to Frey, the Gaza war was caused by Israeli aggression.[17] He has stated that the full political spectrum of Israeli society, from right to left, views Palestinians as sub-human.[26]

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 "'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. ^ Leifer, Joshua (2021-05-27). "The Rise of the New Settler State". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 2025-05-13.
  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 c d e 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 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 2025-01-13. 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. ^ a b 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. ^ 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.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "Israeli strikes kill 66 a day after ceasefire talks resume". New Arab. 2025-01-04.
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ "Sight of Hamas fighters celebrating in Gaza chills Israelis". Middle East Eye. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
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