Director of 'King Bibi' to i24NEWS: Netanyahu instigates conflict with media

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is instigating conflict with the Israeli media for political gain, the director behind a new documentary “King Bibi” told i24NEWS on Monday.

“King Bibi” centers around Netanyahu’s rise to power and the way he used different types of media to become one of Israel’s longest sitting prime ministers.

Dan Shadur, the director behind the documentary, said the title has been perceived as both degrading and glorifying.

Shadur doesn't consider himself a political activist, but there was something intriguing about the controversial prime minister that caused him to make the documentary.

“I'm intrigued by this character. I realized a couple of years ago that there are quite a few things I don't know about him. I was intrigued by him as an Israeli who doesn't vote for him, so I wanted to learn more about him and the reasons for his success. And as a filmmaker, there is something about him that is very fascinating,” Shadur told i24NEWS.

Netanyahu was a client of the famous communication guru, Lilyan Wilder, who wrote the book “7 Steps to Fearless Speaking”.

From his time as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the early 1980’s, Netanyahu began engaging with the mass media.

Parts of the film center around Netanyahu’s appearance in the US media from that time, skills Shadur admits he was not aware of before he made the documentary.

“I knew before I made the film that he was good with the media but I didn't know how thorough he was and how serious he took it from a very early stage in his career.

Shadur adds that part of the message of the documentary is that politics is like acting, but also “about what it’s like to be a politician today -- how we are affected by these messages and images, and if we have the power to oppose it and think for ourselves.”

-Netanyahu vs. Israeli media-

When asked why a politician like Netanyahu who understands the media so well has such a bad relationship with the Israeli media today, Shadur points to the way he was received when he came back to Israel from the US in the late 1980’s.

“When he came back to Israel from the US, I think the media already regarded him as someone who was not really one of us. Someone who is a little bit different,” Shadur said.

“If you go back to the time when he launched his political career, and you listen to the broken English spoken by former prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, it’s obvious Netanyahu was something completely new. And he was being dealt with certain suspicion. Of course he had a point (about the media being hostile) then, but that was 30 years ago. And I don't think it justifies what he is doing today, given his position of power,” he added.

Netanyahu is currently being investigated in three different corruption cases by the Attorney General, which he labels as a witch-hunt instigated by the left-wing and the media.

Two of the probes, dubbed “Case 2000” and “Case 3000”, involve quid pro quo arrangements to provide Netanyahu and his family with favorable press coverage.

Although the premier refers to media coverage of his investigations as a witch-hunt, Shadur believes Bibi benefits from turmoil and even goes so far as to create it.

“Today, he knows the conflict with the media serves him well. He even instigates it sometimes,” Shadur said.

The director also commented on the April 9 elections, where polls predict another win for Netanyahu’s Likud party.

“Something changed in 2015. I think he realized he can do everything by himself. He is the scriptwriter and the director as well as the manager of his campaign. I think up until 2015 he tried to reach out to the entire population. Right now, I think he will only reach out to his base and the conflict with the media will only get worse,” Shadur said.

The documentary is composed solely of archival footage and has received a lot of different reactions from both sides of the political spectrum.

“Everyone sees the film through his own eyes and sees what he wants to see. We have gotten very mixed reactions and criticism from both sides,” Shadur concludes in the interview with i24NEWS.

“King Bibi” is in theaters across Israel and a number of countries around the world.