Video: Ehud Barak, Israeli Minister of Camera Angles?

By Renee Ghert-Zand August 18, 2011

Some Israelis are suggesting that Ehud Barak’s portfolio be changed from Minister of Defense to Minister of Camera Angles, after he was caught on camera giving stage directions to the commander of the IDF’s Southern Command as he briefed the press on the terrorist attacks earlier today near Eilat.

As Major General Tal Russo was giving a detailed description of the terrorists’ incursion into Israeli territory and their attack on a public bus and private vehicles, Barak was caught on video interrupting the commander. “Tal, you don’t understand these things. You need to look over there at the cameras,” Barak said as he pointed to said cameras. Then he chuckled. It can be imagined that Russo, who continued his debriefing without reacting to Barak’s comments, was not amused. Neither was an aide, standing behind Barak, who could be heard admonishing the Minister, “There’s already a director here, you know.”

Israel’s Channel 2 News put the clip up on YouTube, its Internet site, and Facebook. Hundreds of comments were posted, none of them complimentary to Barak.

Israel’s remix king, Noy Alooshe, however, did have something nice to say about Barak’s rude and inappropriate interruption of Russo — albeit in a backhanded compliment kind of way. Alooshe posted the clip on his Facebook page with this introduction: “The bummer about Ehud Barak is that he takes away any desire to make a remix. The original is so amazing that you shouldn’t touch it.”

Watch the Channel 2 News Clip:

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO