Journalist Haim Levinson Returns to TV After High-Profile Scandal

Haim Levinson, one of Israel’s most prominent and outspoken political commentators, returned to television screens on Tuesday night as a guest on i24NEWS's election broadcast hosted by Miri Michaeli, marking a notable media comeback following a turbulent period in his career.

Born in Jerusalem in August 1984 and raised in a Haredi family before leaving the lifestyle in his youth, Levinson built a stellar career in journalism. He joined the daily newspaper Haaretz in 2008, eventually becoming a leading political analyst. In 2024, he expanded his media reach by co-hosting the popular television talk show "Ofira and Levinson" in Israeli media alongside Ofira Asayag.

However, his career hit a major hurdle in October 2025 when media reports revealed he had received roughly 200,000 shekels from Perception, a firm owned by strategic communications consultant Srulik Einhorn, for writing articles during Balkan election campaigns between 2019 and 2024. Following the disclosure, Haaretz terminated his employment. While Levinson apologized for failing to provide full transparency, he maintained that the work was unrelated to his journalistic duties and denied any ties to Qatar. By November 2025, he also stepped down from his Channel 12 program.

In April 2026, Levinson returned to publishing with a weekly column for the 100miHaktach platform, focusing on politics and society. His media return brought him face-to-face with his former co-host Ofira Asayag for a tense on-air confrontation regarding the scandal. During the emotionally charged broadcast, Asayag did not hold back, telling him directly: "You betrayed me, Haim." Following his departure, Asayag continued hosting the show solo before being joined by former footballer Eli Ohana and journalist Barak Seri, rebranding the program as "Ofira, Ohana and Seri."