Haaretz photographer Itai Ron assaulted at protest outside Eisenkot's home

A photojournalist for the Israeli daily Haaretz was assaulted by right-wing activists on Saturday evening while covering a demonstration outside the Herzliya home of Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party. Haaretz reported that its photographer, Itai Ron, was kicked and shoved by protesters who shouted "traitor" at him.

The Times of Israel, citing the Haaretz account, said roughly 50 activists took part in the demonstration and that some of them beat Ron. According to that report, Haaretz also said police officers saw the attack and did not step in. The Israel Police rejected that claim.

Who was involved

Itai Ron works as a photographer for Haaretz, one of Israel's oldest daily newspapers, generally regarded as the country's main left-leaning paper and frequently a target of criticism from the political right. The account of the assault comes from Ron's own employer, which published the first report of the incident.

Gadi Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who moved into politics after leaving the military. The reports describe him as the leader, or chair, of Yashar, the party he heads. Demonstrations outside the private homes of politicians are a recurring feature of Israeli political life, used by activists on both the left and the right to press public figures directly.

Herzliya, where Eisenkot lives, is a coastal city just north of Tel Aviv in central Israel.

The reports describe the protesters only as right-wing activists. Neither names any organisation behind the demonstration, and neither sets out what the protest was specifically about beyond its location outside Eisenkot's home.

The dispute over the police response

The two sides give conflicting accounts of what officers at the scene saw and did.

According to Haaretz, as relayed by The Times of Israel, police officers present at the demonstration witnessed the assault and did not intervene.

The Israel Police denied that its officers saw the attack. In a statement quoted by The Times of Israel, the police said Ron came to the commander of the unit on site and said he had been assaulted. According to the police, officers asked him to point out the people responsible, yet he did not help them do so and went away.

The police added that anyone who suspects a criminal offence has taken place may file a complaint, and that any such complaint would be looked into. The statement did not say whether a complaint had been filed or whether an investigation had been opened.

Neither report resolves the contradiction between the newspaper's account and the police version, and this article does not attempt to either.

What the word "traitor" signals

Both reports note that the attackers called Ron a "traitor." In Israeli political discourse the Hebrew term, often heard as boged, is a charged insult that has been aimed at journalists, left-wing activists and political opponents. Haaretz has long drawn this kind of accusation from parts of the right because of its critical coverage of governments and the military.

How the incident was reported

Haaretz published its account on Saturday night under the bylines of three reporters, Yair Foldes, Bar Peleg and Adi Hashmonai. The Times of Israel carried the story a few hours later in its live blog, attributing the description of the assault to Haaretz and adding the police response.

The Times of Israel framed the assault as alleged, writing that the photographer was "said" to have been attacked, reflecting that its information came from the Haaretz report rather than from its own reporters at the scene.

What the reports do not say

• Whether Ron was injured, and if so how seriously, is not stated in either report.
• Neither report says whether a police complaint has been filed or whether any of the attackers has been identified or detained.
• No response from Eisenkot or his party to the assault outside his home has been reported.
• No independent witness account or footage has been cited to settle whether officers saw the attack, as Haaretz says, or did not, as the police say.
• The organisers of the demonstration and the specific purpose of the protest are not identified.