After eight years as a central panelist on Channel 14's The Patriots, broadcaster Itamar Fleischmann has spoken publicly for the first time about the circumstances behind his absence from the show.
In a candid conversation with Galei Israel and Channel 14 broadcaster Noam Fathi on "Tzemed Re'im," the NVP podcast Fleischmann co-hosts with fellow Patriots panelist Yotam Zimri, he addressed the rumors circulating on social media. He flatly denied claims of a dramatic blowup or personal feud with show host Yinon Magal, and laid out the mix of professional disagreements and personal considerations that have kept him off the panel.
Fathi raised the frustration among viewers, who felt Fleischmann's sudden absence left a void and many unanswered questions. In response, Fleischmann dismissed speculation of a personal crisis and stressed that his relationship with Magal remains warm and intact.
He said he still considers Magal a close friend in every sense and has no intention of criticizing him: "Yinon, I still see him as a friend, and that's it. You haven't heard me say a bad word about him and I won't, because I have nothing to say." Fleischmann added that he continues to defend Magal whenever he comes under public fire, citing "the monkey incident" and the Bibas incident as examples.
Alongside the denial of a personal feud, Fleischmann did not shy away from the professional reality, acknowledging that beneath the surface there were gaps in approach that became a significant point of contention. He made clear that what is currently keeping him from returning has nothing to do with the wider political reality, but with how the two sides see the show itself. In his words: "It's not that there's some fight. There are certain differences of opinion about how we see the reality of the show, not the reality in the world, that are preventing it right now."
The friction is not new. In March 2025, a heated on-air debate over Haredi conscription ended with Magal cutting Fleischmann off and moving to the next item, prompting Fleischmann to get up and walk off the set. The two later reconciled on air. More recently, in August, Fleischmann was involved in a fierce on-air clash with Guy Meroz that Magal struggled to calm, though nothing Fleischmann said in the interview links that episode to his absence.
Beyond the professional disagreements, he put the emphasis on the human toll: nearly a decade of grueling late-night work had worn him down. He spoke candidly about what the punishing broadcast schedule cost him and his family, and about how much better life has been since he stopped coming home late at night.
"I've been doing The Patriots for eight years, and you finish late in the evening. And I'm a person who loves life and the little leisure time I have," he said. "When you come home every day at 11, and suddenly I'm coming home at 8, suddenly you see an evening." He added: "What happens there is insane pressure, there's a lot of responsibility on you."
Fathi jokingly suggested a compromise: returning to the panel just two days a week, an arrangement he said the public would happily accept.
He responded with a smile, pointing to the practical realities that keep him in a steady job, summed up in a few simple words: "I have kids too" and "you have to make a living."
For now, Fleischmann has not announced a formal departure, leaving the door open to an eventual return to the studio.
