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Meet the Official IDF Arabic Spokesman

(Tablet) Elhanan Miller - Avichay Adraee, 35, first discovered his love for the Arabic language as a child watching old Egyptian movies on Israeli TV with his grandparents. He aced his Haifa high school Arabic exams and went on to serve as a linguist in the intelligence corps. Just shy of his 23rd birthday, he became IDF spokesman to the Arabic media. His Arabic Facebook page boasts over 1.2 million followers, with 177,000 followers on Twitter, and he has become a household name across the Arab Middle East. There are a number of satire programs about him on television and online, which he takes as proof of his acceptance. Another yardstick for success is the growing use by Arab media of the term "Israel Defense Forces" when referring to the Israeli army, instead of "the enemy army." Adraee believes he may be successful thanks to the military uniform he wears on media interviews. "In the Arab world, my nonacademic impression is that a uniform exudes prestige and credibility. When Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi inaugurated the new Suez Canal, he came in uniform, even though it wasn't a military ceremony."
2018-02-16 00:00:00
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