Netali Shem-Tov: "They called me a Bibist. Everything that does not agree with them is such"
Journalist Netali Shem-Tov shared her position on the issue of ethnic discrimination and spoke openly about the label she was given due to her different views: "They called me a Bibist, I stopped counting how many times they called me that."
Media personality Netali Shem-Tov, who is currently involved in a legal battle against the 13th Channel news company, was a guest on the podcast "Everything is Open" (Ha-Kol Patuach) hosted by Avi Shushan. She addressed the issue of ethnic discrimination, which remains a sensitive social topic, and discussed the treatment she received from her colleagues at Channel 13.
"I don't think that what we are talking about here today is a struggle between Mizrahim and Ashkenazim. It is a struggle of democrats against racists. My perception is shared by many Ashkenazim, and there are many Mizrahim who do not share it. My view is that in a democratic country, there should be equal opportunity for all children. We have partners; there always were. There was a pact here between those who came from the transit camps (ma'abarot) and those who came from the underground movements," the journalist stated.
When asked by Shushan if she experienced racism at Channel 13, Netali Shem-Tov responded without hesitation:
"Avi, can someone who silences people who think differently than him talk about democracy? I am talking to you about democracy, about equal rights, and about people who are equal in their eyes. I don't walk around with a sign saying I am Moroccan."
She emphasized that at Channel 13, she was called a "Bibist" countless times. According to her, this term has become a sanitized word for "rabble," "chachla" (vulgar woman), and anyone who does not agree with the prevailing narrative.
Elaborating on the term, Shem-Tov added: "Certainly, I stopped counting how many times they called me that. They mean everyone who does not agree with them; it is very simple. Anyone who does not agree with them because they have independent thinking is a Bibist who receives a talking points memo in the morning." When asked what a "Bibist" truly embodies, she replied that it encompasses derogatory terms like "chachchachim" (for Mizrahim), "chachlot," and "amulet kissers." "But at the end of the day, anyone who does not agree with them is a Bibist," she concluded.
