Channel 13 reporter suspended for racism after questioning medical credentials of El-Sayed, Tibi
The controversy began when Channel 13 political reporter Eyal Berkovic questioned whether El-Sayed was entitled to use the title "doctor."
Television personality Eyal Berkovic was suspended from broadcasting on Channel 13 following remarks deemed racist that questioned the academic and medical credentials of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a U.S. Senator-elect, and Israeli lawmaker Ahmad Tibi. This marks Berkovic's second controversy within a week, following a clash with fellow presenter Lucy Aharish.
El-Sayed, a Democrat advocating for Israel criticism, holds a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford University. Tibi, an Arab Israeli member of the Knesset, is also a trained gynecologist. Berkovic's questions about whether El-Sayed and Tibi deserved the title of "doctor" sparked widespread condemnation on social media, with criticism from prominent Israeli journalists echoing, "Racism is not a legitimate opinion or a matter of being for or against."
The network cited the suspension as a response to Berkovic's comments and their inconsistency with the company's values. A clarification meeting with Berkovic concluded with the decision to suspend him immediately from broadcasting. The duration of the suspension and his potential return to the airwaves were not specified by Channel 13.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
