Channel 13 suspends Eyal Berkovic after he questions on air whether Ahmad Tibi is a doctor; Tibi threatens to sue
Channel 13 suspended Eyal Berkovic after he questioned on air whether Abdul El-Sayed and Ahmad Tibi are really doctors, calling the remarks racist. Tibi then demanded an apology and NIS 150,000, and the channel said his claims had no substance.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Israel's Channel 13 suspended host Eyal Berkovic after he asked on air whether Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed and Knesset member Ahmad Tibi are really doctors and said Tibi should bring his diploma. The channel called the remarks racist. Tibi demanded an on-air apology and NIS 150,000 for student scholarships, and the channel told Walla his claims had no substance because viewers could tell Tibi is a doctor.
Read the full background
Eyal Berkovic, a former Israel international footballer, co-hosts the program Moria and Berko on Israel's Channel 13 with Moria Asraf. On November 7, 2026, the hosts spoke with the channel's Washington reporter, Suleiman Maswadeh, about Abdul El-Sayed, a critic of Israel who had just won Michigan's U.S. Senate race. When Maswadeh introduced El-Sayed as a doctor, Berkovic asked whether anyone had checked that he was one. He then said people also say Ahmad Tibi is a doctor and that Tibi should bring his diploma. Maswadeh told him Tibi is a doctor, and Berkovic replied that everyone is a doctor.
El-Sayed holds a medical degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in public health from Oxford. Tibi, a Joint List member of the Knesset, completed medical school at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and was licensed as a physician in 1986.
That evening Tibi called the program Channel 13's racist garbage bin. On November 8 the channel suspended Berkovic from broadcasting after what it called a clarification meeting. It said freedom of expression is no license for racist remarks and that what was said on the program was inconsistent with its values, and it did not say how long the suspension would last. The Joint List said the channel's management had apologized to Tibi by phone.
The same day Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent Berkovic, Asraf and the companies behind the broadcast a warning letter calling the remarks offensive, humiliating and racist. It demands an explicit on-air retraction and apology, removal of the segment from their platforms and NIS 150,000, which Tibi says he will give to scholarships for students in need. It gives them seven days before a defamation suit. Channel 13 News told Walla there was no substance to the claims and that anyone who watched the broadcast could understand there was no doubt Tibi is a doctor, noting that Asraf had said so on air.
The suspension came after an October 27 election-night confrontation in which, according to people present, Berkovic told the Arab-Israeli anchor Lucy Aharish to calm down because she was not in the village. In 2018 Keshet 12 took his earlier show off the air for a week after he called Arab members of the Knesset terrorists. Reactions split: journalists Barak Ravid and Ben Caspit called the remarks racism, while Yinon Magal and Berkovic's son, Lior, objected to the suspension. We could not locate a public response from Berkovic to the suspension or to Tibi's letter as of November 10, 2026.
People in this case
Eyal BerkovicDirectly involved
Ahmad TibiDirectly involved
Abdul El-SayedDirectly involved
Timeline
5 timeline entries on this page. Dates: August 19, 2018 to November 8, 2026
August 2018
Keshet 12 takes Ofira and Berkovich off the air for a week over Berkovic's remarks about Arab lawmakers
Incident
Keshet 12 suspended its talk show Ofira and Berkovich for one week after Eyal Berkovic said on the program that Arab members of the Knesset were haters of Israel and terrorists. Keshet said the remarks crossed the line of free speech. Berkovic later apologized for some of the expressions he had used.
[01]The Jerusalem Post
Jerusalem Post report from August 2018 on Keshet's decision to take Ofira and Berkovich off the air for a week after Berkovic called Arab members of the Knesset terrorists.
Israeli talk show suspended for labeling MKs 'terrorists' · The Jerusalem PostFull article[02]Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Walla report on the suspension. It says Tibi completed medical school at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and was licensed as a physician in 1986, recounts Berkovic's clash with anchor Lucy Aharish during the election-night broadcast and recalls that Keshet 12 took his show with Ofira Asayag off the air for a week in August 2018.
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)Channel 13 statement; Tibi's medical training; earlier suspension
October 2026
Berkovic and Lucy Aharish clash during Channel 13's election-night broadcast
Incident
During a commercial break in Channel 13's election-night broadcast, anchor Lucy Aharish called Berkovic and Moria Asraf racists after Asraf's call for Zionist unity, and Berkovic told Aharish to calm down because she was not in the village, according to people present. Aharish stayed off the air for several days. Berkovic later said on his program that he may have said a wrong sentence but rejected the charge of racism.
[03]Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 over remarks on Moria and Berko (Israel Hayom article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Israel Hayom report on the suspension. It cites El-Sayed's and Tibi's degrees and describes the October 27 election-night confrontation between Berkovic and anchor Lucy Aharish, as told by people present, and the postponement of an interview Omri Assenheim had recorded with Berkovic.
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 over remarks on Moria and Berko (Israel Hayom article in Hebrew)Background on the October 27 confrontation with Lucy Aharish[02]Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Walla report on the suspension. It says Tibi completed medical school at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and was licensed as a physician in 1986, recounts Berkovic's clash with anchor Lucy Aharish during the election-night broadcast and recalls that Keshet 12 took his show with Ofira Asayag off the air for a week in August 2018.
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)Channel 13 statement; Tibi's medical training; earlier suspension
November 2026
Berkovic questions on air whether Abdul El-Sayed and Ahmad Tibi are really doctors
Incident
On Moria and Berko, Channel 13 reporter Suleiman Maswadeh introduced Michigan's Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed as a doctor. Berkovic asked whether anyone had checked, then said people also say Ahmad Tibi is a doctor and that Tibi should bring his diploma. Maswadeh said Tibi is a doctor, and Berkovic replied that everyone is a doctor.
[04]Video of the November 7, 2026 Moria and Berko segment, posted on X (in Hebrew)
A 65-second excerpt of Channel 13's broadcast of Moria and Berko on November 7, 2026, posted on X with the poster's own comment in Hebrew. Reporter Suleiman Maswadeh, speaking from Washington, introduces Abdul El-Sayed as a doctor; Eyal Berkovic questions the title and then turns to Ahmad Tibi, and Maswadeh tells him Tibi is a doctor. The same footage appeared minutes earlier in another account's post, which Tibi quote-posted.
Video of the November 7, 2026 Moria and Berko segment, posted on X (in Hebrew)Video, 0:00 to 1:05 (excerpt of the Channel 13 broadcast)[05]Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Walla report on the warning letter Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent on November 8, 2026. It transcribes the on-air exchange, summarizes the letter's demands and quotes the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)Transcript of the exchange; Tibi's warning letter; Channel 13 News response[06]The Jerusalem Post
English-language Jerusalem Post report, by the reporter who wrote the Walla article, on Tibi's warning letter. It translates the on-air exchange and the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
Tibi threatens Channel 13 reporters with NIS 150,000 lawsuit for questioning medical credentials · The Jerusalem PostFull articleTibi's attorney sends a warning letter demanding an apology and NIS 150,000
Claim
Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent Berkovic, Moria Asraf and the companies behind the broadcast a warning letter calling the remarks defamatory and racist. It demands an explicit on-air retraction and apology, removal of the segment from their platforms and NIS 150,000, which Tibi says he will give to scholarships for students in need, within seven days, before a defamation suit.
[05]Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Walla report on the warning letter Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent on November 8, 2026. It transcribes the on-air exchange, summarizes the letter's demands and quotes the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)Transcript of the exchange; Tibi's warning letter; Channel 13 News response[06]The Jerusalem Post
English-language Jerusalem Post report, by the reporter who wrote the Walla article, on Tibi's warning letter. It translates the on-air exchange and the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
Tibi threatens Channel 13 reporters with NIS 150,000 lawsuit for questioning medical credentials · The Jerusalem PostFull articleChannel 13 suspends Berkovic from broadcasting
Incident
Channel 13 suspended Berkovic from broadcasting immediately after a clarification meeting, calling the remarks racist and inconsistent with its values. It did not say how long the suspension would last. The Joint List said the channel's management apologized to Tibi by phone.
[07]Ynet News
Hebrew-language ynet report that first disclosed Channel 13's suspension of Berkovic on November 8, 2026. It quotes his remark about Tibi's diploma, the full statement from Channel 13 News and the Joint List's account that the channel's management apologized to Tibi by phone, and says Berkovic had not yet responded.
First report: Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (ynet article in Hebrew) · Ynet NewsChannel 13 News statement and Joint List response[02]Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)
Hebrew-language Walla report on the suspension. It says Tibi completed medical school at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and was licensed as a physician in 1986, recounts Berkovic's clash with anchor Lucy Aharish during the election-night broadcast and recalls that Keshet 12 took his show with Ofira Asayag off the air for a week in August 2018.
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)Channel 13 statement; Tibi's medical training; earlier suspension
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What's disputed
Disputed claim
Eyal Berkovic and Moria Asraf defamed Ahmad Tibi on Channel 13 with offensive, humiliating and racist remarks about his medical degree.
What is disputed
Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, made the claim in a warning letter sent on November 8, 2026, before any lawsuit. Channel 13 News told Walla there was no substance to the claims and that anyone who watched the broadcast could understand there was no doubt Tibi is a doctor. The channel had called the remarks racist in its November 8 statement suspending Berkovic. No suit had been filed as of November 9.
Sources (2)
- Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)Transcript of the exchange; Tibi's warning letter; Channel 13 News response
- Tibi threatens Channel 13 reporters with NIS 150,000 lawsuit for questioning medical credentials · The Jerusalem PostFull article
Response record
Responses
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
3 matching responses. Newest first.
Channel 13 (Israel)Israeli television channel that airs Moria and Berko; response from Channel 13 NewsDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent a warning letter on November 8 to Berkovic, co-host Moria Asraf and the companies behind the broadcast, calling the remarks offensive, humiliating and racist and demanding an on-air apology and NIS 150,000. Walla asked Channel 13 News for a response.
"There is no substance to the claims ... Anyone who watched the broadcast could understand that there is no doubt Tibi is a doctor, including the fact that Moria said so in her own voice (Translated from Hebrew. Original: אין ממש בדברים ... כל מי שצפה בשידור יכול היה להבין שאין ספק שטיבי הוא ד"ר, כולל זה שמוריה אמרה את זה בקולה)"
Challenged the characterizationResponding to: Eyal Berkovic and Moria Asraf defamed Ahmad Tibi on Channel 13 with offensive, humiliating and racist remarks about his medical degree.
Full statement and sources
Responding to Tibi's warning letter, Channel 13 News tells Walla there is no substance to the claims and that anyone who watched the broadcast could understand there was no doubt Tibi is a doctor, noting that co-host Moria Asraf said so.
After the statement
The channel told Walla it was repeating the answer it had given directly. In the broadcast, Asraf said of El-Sayed, laughing, that he was not just another dostri but a doctor, and replied of course, laughing, when Berkovic said people also say Tibi is a doctor. Reporter Suleiman Maswadeh then told the hosts that Tibi is a doctor.
Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)Transcript of the exchange; Tibi's warning letter; Channel 13 News responseTibi threatens Channel 13 reporters with NIS 150,000 lawsuit for questioning medical credentials · The Jerusalem PostFull articleWhy this label?
The reference point is Berkovic's November 7 on-air remarks questioning whether Abdul El-Sayed and Ahmad Tibi are really doctors. Answering Tibi's claim that the remarks defamed him, the channel says the claim has no substance and that viewers could understand Tibi is a doctor, which disputes that the broadcast cast doubt on his degree. It does not defend the remarks, which it had called racist the day before, so we labeled it Challenged the characterization rather than Defended or excused.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
- Channel 13 (Israel)Israeli television channel that airs Moria and Berko; statement issued by Channel 13 NewsDirectly involved
Before this statement
Ynet first reported the suspension on November 8, the day after the broadcast, and said the decision followed Berkovic's remarks casting doubt on Tibi's title of doctor.
"Freedom of expression and a diversity of opinions are among the cornerstones of a free press, but they are no license for racist remarks. The things said yesterday on the program Moria and Berko are unacceptable and inconsistent with the company's values. As a result, a clarification meeting was held with Eyal Berkovic, at the end of which it was decided to suspend him from broadcasting immediately (Translated from Hebrew. Original: חופש הביטוי וריבוי הדעות הם מאבני היסוד של עיתונות חופשית, אך אינם מהווים הכשר לאמירות גזעניות. הדברים שנאמרו אתמול בתוכנית מוריה וברקו אינם מקובלים ולא עולים בקנה אחד עם ערכי החברה. בעקבות כך נערכה עם איל ברקוביץ' שיחת הבהרה ובסיומה הוחלט על השעייתו המיידית משידור)"
CondemnedCase context: Channel 13 suspends Eyal Berkovic after he questions on air whether Ahmad Tibi is a doctor; Tibi threatens to sue
Full statement and sources
Channel 13 says freedom of expression is no license for racist remarks, calls what was said on Moria and Berko unacceptable and inconsistent with its values, and says Berkovic has been suspended from broadcasting immediately after a clarification meeting.
After the statement
The channel did not say how long the suspension would last. The Joint List told ynet that the channel's management had apologized to Tibi in a phone call and that Tibi wanted an apology on the program itself.
First report: Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (ynet article in Hebrew) · Ynet NewsChannel 13 News statement and Joint List responseEyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)Channel 13 statement; Tibi's medical training; earlier suspensionWhy this label?
The reference point is Berkovic's November 7 on-air remarks questioning whether Abdul El-Sayed and Ahmad Tibi are really doctors. The channel calls them racist, unacceptable and inconsistent with its values and suspends him from broadcasting, which condemns them.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Ahmad TibiJoint List member of the Knesset and the subject of the remarksDirectly involvedBefore this statement
Tibi quote-posts a post by another X user that carried video of the segment and called the hosts' remarks a sickening display of racism.
"A program that has earned the dubious title of Channel 13's racist garbage bin (Translated from Hebrew. Original: תוכנית העונה לתואר המפוקפק: פח הפסולת הגזענית של ערוץ 13)"
CondemnedCase context: Channel 13 suspends Eyal Berkovic after he questions on air whether Ahmad Tibi is a doctor; Tibi threatens to sue
Full statement and sources
Tibi says Moria and Berko has earned the title of Channel 13's racist garbage bin, quote-posting a post that carried video of the segment in which Berkovic questioned whether he is a doctor.
After the statement
The next day, after Channel 13 announced Berkovic's suspension, Tibi posted that he is both an Arab and a doctor, quote-posting a report on the suspension.
Why this label?
The reference point is Berkovic's November 7 on-air remarks questioning whether Abdul El-Sayed and Ahmad Tibi are really doctors. Tibi, the target of the remarks, calls the program that aired them a racist garbage bin, which condemns them. He does not dispute how the remarks were described or play them down, so no competing label fits.
This label describes the statement's response within the context above.
Sources
(15)
Original post
Video of the November 7, 2026 Moria and Berko segment, posted on X (in Hebrew)
About this source
A 65-second excerpt of Channel 13's broadcast of Moria and Berko on November 7, 2026, posted on X with the poster's own comment in Hebrew. Reporter Suleiman Maswadeh, speaking from Washington, introduces Abdul El-Sayed as a doctor; Eyal Berkovic questions the title and then turns to Ahmad Tibi, and Maswadeh tells him Tibi is a doctor. The same footage appeared minutes earlier in another account's post, which Tibi quote-posted.
- Author
- Yosef Yisrael (@yosefyisrael25)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Israeli talk show suspended for labeling MKs 'terrorists'
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Jerusalem Post report from August 2018 on Keshet's decision to take Ofira and Berkovich off the air for a week after Berkovic called Arab members of the Knesset terrorists.
- Author
- Amy Spiro
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 over remarks on Moria and Berko (Israel Hayom article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Background on the October 27 confrontation with Lucy Aharish
About this source
Hebrew-language Israel Hayom report on the suspension. It cites El-Sayed's and Tibi's degrees and describes the October 27 election-night confrontation between Berkovic and anchor Lucy Aharish, as told by people present, and the postponement of an interview Omri Assenheim had recorded with Berkovic.
- Author
- Israel Hayom
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Yinon Magal defends Eyal Berkovic on 103FM (Israel Hayom article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: 103FM exchange among Yinon Magal, Ben Caspit and Chaim Levinson
About this source
Hebrew-language Israel Hayom report on a November 9, 2026 exchange on 103FM radio, with Chaim Levinson filling in for Berkovic, in which Yinon Magal, Ben Caspit and Levinson argued over whether Channel 13 should have suspended him.
- Author
- Israel Hayom
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Lior Berkovic's November 8, 2026 Instagram post about his father's suspension (in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Text image and caption (Hebrew)
About this source
Instagram post by Lior Berkovic. Its first image carries the text in Hebrew, and its caption tells his father that if Ahmad Tibi is a doctor, he is a professor.
- Author
- Lior Berkovic (@lior_berkovich9)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Eyal Berkovic's son defends him and attacks Tibi (TMI, Maariv, article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Quotations from Lior Berkovic's Instagram post
About this source
Hebrew-language report on Maariv's TMI site that quotes Lior Berkovic's Instagram post, including its closing line, and embeds it.
- Author
- Miki Levin
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Lior Berkovic responds to his father's suspension (Walla article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Quotations from Lior Berkovic's Instagram post
About this source
Hebrew-language Walla report that quotes and embeds Lior Berkovic's Instagram post about his father's suspension.
- Author
- Maor Ben Harosh
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Barak Ravid's November 7, 2026 quote-post about the El-Sayed segment (in Hebrew)
About this source
Ravid quote-posts a post by Yosef Yisrael that carried video of the segment and described El-Sayed's career as an epidemiologist and Detroit's health director, adding two Hebrew words that translate as doctors of racism.
- Author
- Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid)
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Barak Ravid's November 7, 2026 post on X about racism in Channel 13 News broadcasts (in Hebrew)
About this source
Hebrew-language post on Ravid's X account, published about 90 minutes after his quote-post of a post about the Moria and Berko segment.
- Author
- Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid)
- Published
- Accessed
Original post
Ahmad Tibi's November 7, 2026 post on X about Moria and Berko (in Hebrew)
About this source
Hebrew-language post on Tibi's X account. It quote-posts another user's post that carried video of the segment and called the hosts' remarks racist.
- Author
- Ahmad Tibi (@Ahmad_tibi)
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Israeli TV Host Suspended Over 'Racist' Jab at Abdul El-Sayed
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
Mediaite report on the suspension, as syndicated by Yahoo News. It gives English translations of Channel 13's statement and of the last sentences of Barak Ravid's post about racism in Channel 13 News broadcasts.
- Author
- David Gilmour
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Tibi threatens Channel 13 reporters with NIS 150,000 lawsuit for questioning medical credentials
Relevant passage: Full article
About this source
English-language Jerusalem Post report, by the reporter who wrote the Walla article, on Tibi's warning letter. It translates the on-air exchange and the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
- Author
- Yoav Etiel
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Tibi threatens a defamation suit against Berkovic and Asraf (Walla article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Transcript of the exchange; Tibi's warning letter; Channel 13 News response
About this source
Hebrew-language Walla report on the warning letter Tibi's attorney, Gilad Barnea, sent on November 8, 2026. It transcribes the on-air exchange, summarizes the letter's demands and quotes the response Channel 13 News gave Walla.
- Author
- Yoav Etiel
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (Walla article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Channel 13 statement; Tibi's medical training; earlier suspension
About this source
Hebrew-language Walla report on the suspension. It says Tibi completed medical school at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1983 and was licensed as a physician in 1986, recounts Berkovic's clash with anchor Lucy Aharish during the election-night broadcast and recalls that Keshet 12 took his show with Ofira Asayag off the air for a week in August 2018.
- Author
- Walla Culture
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
First report: Eyal Berkovic suspended from Channel 13 (ynet article in Hebrew)
Relevant passage: Channel 13 News statement and Joint List response
About this source
Hebrew-language ynet report that first disclosed Channel 13's suspension of Berkovic on November 8, 2026. It quotes his remark about Tibi's diploma, the full statement from Channel 13 News and the Joint List's account that the channel's management apologized to Tibi by phone, and says Berkovic had not yet responded.
- Author
- Ran Boker
- Published
- Accessed
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- Title
- Channel 13 suspends Eyal Berkovic after he questions on air whether Ahmad Tibi is a doctor; Tibi threatens to sue
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The Dispute Index. "Channel 13 suspends Eyal Berkovic after he questions on air whether Ahmad Tibi is a doctor; Tibi threatens to sue". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/cases/channel-13-suspends-eyal-berkovic-after-he-questions-on-air-whether-ahmad-tibi-is-a-doctor-tibi-threatens-to-sue