Eylon Levy reveals: How he became Israel's spokesperson without screening or experience

Eylon Levy, a presenter on the new Channel 16 and someone who became one of the most recognizable voices of Israeli public diplomacy during the Swords of Iron war, revealed how he entered the role of government spokesperson in the first days after October 7. In a conversation on the "Blue and White" podcast hosted by Ben Karaso, Levy described an improvised reality in which he found himself almost overnight in front of the cameras of the world's major media outlets.

Levy said that before the war, he had no connection to the government at all. According to him, the reality created after the October 7 attack caused many people to mobilize for the public diplomacy effort, and he himself was quickly drawn into the system.

"Before the war, I had no connection to the government. But we were in an atmosphere where everyone just took a position. In the first week, I was drawn into the public diplomacy system," he said.

According to him, the way it was determined that he was suitable for the role was extremely simple: "They told me, great, you speak English, you have a jacket, you have a tie, from tomorrow you are the government spokesperson, good luck," he recounted.

Thus, within a short time, Levy found himself being interviewed by international networks and presenting Israel's position to audiences around the world. "A week into the war, I find myself in front of the cameras, being interviewed by the media as if I were the government spokesperson," he said, adding that in retrospect, this was a way of operating that should not have happened.

The story presented by Levy reflects, according to him, the pressure and improvisation that characterized the Israeli handling of the international media arena at the beginning of the war. While millions of people around the world followed the events in Israel, public diplomacy officials were required to provide quick responses and deal with difficult questions in foreign media.

Levy himself later became one of the prominent figures in Israeli public diplomacy in English, appearing repeatedly on networks such as BBC and CNN. Previously, he served as the international media advisor to President Isaac Herzog, and later was one of the government spokespeople in English during the Swords of Iron war.

As recalled, Levy is expected to expand his media activity after joining Channel 16, where he will host a daily news segment that will deal with major events on the international arena and their implications for Israel and the world. In the past, he also served as a news anchor at i24NEWS and the Israel Broadcasting Authority.