Politicised celebrity in a conflict-ridden society: The Elor Azaria case and celebritisation discourses in Israel

ABSTRACT

Research on celebrities in large-scale national and global contexts has traditionally focused on the ways in which celebrity culture reinforces hegemonic values and the social status quo to avoid alienating potential audiences. Through an examination of the celebritisation of Elor Azaria, an Israeli soldier who earned renown after he was put on trial for killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant, we suggest that in a small scale, nationalistic and conflict-ridden society such as Israel, complementary global discourses of depoliticisation and local discourses of politicisation may occur, complicating the celebrity culture landscape. We demonstrate these convergent logics through an analysis of media discourse about Azaria, and other celebrities who were drawn into the affair, and consider theoretical implications for celebrity politics more broadly.

KEYWORDS:

• Celebrity politics
• Israel
• Elor Azaria
• politicized celebrity
• conflict

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Print media outlets: Haaretz, Israel Hayom, Yedioth Ahronoth, The Marker, Calcalist, Globes, and Ma’ariv. Online news websites: Ynet, Walla!, Mako, Haaretz.com, Globes.com.

2. Importantly, this was also a reiteration of the slogan used in the campaign calling for the release of Gilad Shalit, an IDF soldier held captive by Hamas in 2006–2011 who also became a celebrity during his years of captivity.

3. Also reflecting this construction of victimhood was the fact that the Palestinian assailant killed by Azaria was universally referred to in Israeli discourse as a ‘terrorist‘ (mexabel) – despite the fact that he had attacked soldiers (not civilians) within occupied Hebron.

4. Surveys of the general Jewish Israeli public found similar trends but lower levels of support. Thus, a survey carried out in April found 62% in support of releasing Azaria and 38% in support of continuing the trial (Shoval 2016b). Surveys carried out towards the end of the trial found similar trends: 65% supporting Azaria’s act and 25% against it in September (Nrg 2016a), and 62% in favour of an acquittal or pardon for Azaria, with only 20% supporting a conviction in November (Nrg 2016b).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Oren Livio

Oren Livio is Lecturer at the Department of Communication, University of Haifa. His research focuses on discursive and cultural negotiations of national identity, militarism, civic participation, and protest, particularly in the Israeli context. His work has been published in various books and journals, including Journal of Communication, Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism, Journalism Studies, and Critical Studies in Media Communication.

Hagar Afriat

Hagar Afriat is a PhD candidate at the Department of Communication, Tel Aviv University, and a research assistant at the Media-User Interaction (MUI) Lab. Her research examines intersections of media and culture, in particular with regard to cultural identities and trends.