Revealed: Regime's ex-spies shaping Israeli narratives in US media

Former Israeli spies are embedded in major US news outlets, influencing coverage to favor Tel Aviv's interests, according to a report.

In early October, Barak Ravid published an article in Axios titled "One Year After Oct. 7 Attacks, Netanyahu is on a Winning Streak," portraying Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as riding on an unbeatable wave of triumphs, Mint Press News reported.

Ravid recently went viral for an article that claimed that Israeli attacks against Hezbollah are “not intended to lead to war but are an attempt to reach ‘de-escalation through escalation.'”

Ravid is an Israeli spy – or at least he was until recently. He is a former analyst with Israeli spying agency Unit 8200, and as recently as last year, he was still a reservist with the Israeli military. 

Founded in 1952, Unit 8200 is Israel’s largest and perhaps most controversial spying organization. It has been responsible for many high-profile espionage and terror operations, including the recent pager attack that injured thousands of Lebanese civilians.

Ravid is far from the only Israeli ex-spook working at top US media outlets to manufacture Western support for Tel Aviv.   

He has quickly become one of the most influential individuals in the Capitol Hill press corps. In April, he won the White House Press Correspondents’ Award “for overall excellence in White House coverage”—one of the highest awards in American journalism.

He was personally presented with the award by President Joe Biden, who embraced him like a brother.

Ravid has made a name for himself by uncritically printing flattering information given to him by either the US or Israeli officials.

Another former spy, Shachar Peled spent three years as an officer in Unit 8200, leading a team of analysts in surveillance, intelligence and cyberwarfare.

She also served as a technology analyst for the Israeli intelligence service, Shin Bet.

In 2017, she was hired as a producer and writer by CNN and spent three years putting together segments for the broadcaster's Fareed Zakaria and Christiane Amanpour’s shows. Google later hired her to become its senior media specialist.

Another Unit 8200 agent who went on to work for CNN is Tal Heinrich who spent three years as an agent. Between 2014 and 2017, she was the field and news desk producer for CNN’s notoriously pro-Israel Jerusalem Bureau.

The New York Times, meanwhile, hired Anat Schwartz, an ex-Israeli air force intelligence officer with zero journalistic experience. She co-wrote the infamous and now discredited “Screams Without Words” expose, which claimed that Hamas fighters systematically sexually violated Israelis on October 7.

Multiple New York Times employees, including its star columnist David Brooks, have had children serving in the Israeli forces. Even as they report or offer opinions on the region, the Times has never disclosed these glaring conflicts of interest to its readers.

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