Israel’s Avichay bids farewell

“You are in the vicinity of Hezbollah facilities and the IDF will act forcefully against them. For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings immediately and stay at least 500 meters away from them.” With these urgent alerts, Israeli Col. Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesperson of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), invaded every Lebanese household, particularly during the last 2023-2024 war, bringing fear, misery and destruction along with it.

However, after almost 20 years of service and being the face of the IDF to the Arab World, Adraee is set to retire at his own request. He is to disappear from Israeli as well as the region’s media presence, although not from the psyche of those who suffered the most from his controversial announcements and rhetoric.

Who is Avichay Adraee?

Avichay Adraee is not the descendent of a European Jewish family (Ashkenazi) but rather of Middle Eastern Jewish roots (Mizrachi), originating from Iraq (through his maternal grandparents) as well as from Turky and Syria (from his paternal grandparents).

Adraee began his military career in Unit 8200 (Israel’s elite military intelligence unit) before moving on to serve as head of the IDF’s Arabic-language communications division in the Spokesperson’s Unit during the 2005 Disengagement Plan (referring to the unilateral withdrawal of Israeli forces and the dismantling of settlements in the Gaza Strip, as proposed by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon).

His media debut with regards to the Lebanese scene came during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon War, also known as the Second Israel-Lebanon War or the 2006 July War. Although Tel Aviv relied on printed pamphlets to issue warnings and evacuation orders, Adraee nevertheless made notable appearances on regional media.

Adraee has long been a staunch advocate for benefiting from social media to deliver the intended message, emphasizing its significance and crucial role in effectively addressing and even influencing the targeted audience. The Israeli spokesperson once claimed that “the idea was to use social media not only to disseminate press releases but also to generate discourse among specific target audiences,” asserting that “we are looking to influence, not just do PR.”

It is from this perspective that the IDF had probably appointed him to serve as its mouthpiece concerning the Arab World, as a means to achieve the desired engagement with the Arab populations and communities. This strategy not only allowed Israel to deliver its alerts and message to the aforementioned audience, but even promote its very own rhetoric, positions and vision to countries and communities sharing profound animosity towards Tel Aviv. Given the state of “enmity” between them, Arabs have rarely gained any interest or sincere access to Israeli media and rhetoric. However, Adraee managed to compel them to follow his announcements and activities (as well as that of the IDF), elevating his X followers to over 800,000 (including thousands of Lebanese).

The pivotal turning point came in 2023 following the October 7 attacks and the Gaza War. As the front opened along the Lebanese-Israeli border on October 8, 2023, Adraee emerged as a central and influential figure, both in Lebanon and the Middle East at large. He became frequently mentioned in official statements, news, public discourse and even notable social media influencers. The evacuation orders and warnings that Adraee issued in Arabic coined him with displacement, homelessness and misery.

Captain Ella: a possible successor?

Ever since news broke out that Avichay Adraee would soon be retiring, speculations emerged regarding the potential successor capable of sustaining, or even enhancing, the engagement and influence that Adraee managed to create. Among the prominent candidates that stood out was Israeli Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, better known as “Captain Ella.”

Waweya is currently the deputy head of Arabic communications in the IDF Spokesperson Unit (meaning Adraee’s deputy). Unlike the latter, she is not Jewish, but rather a Muslim Arab born in Israel (known as “Israeli Arabs”), age 33. Ella is also the first ever senior Muslim Arab female in the IDF to become a “Major.” Although born into a conservative and religious family in the central Israeli city of Qalansawe, located east of Netanya, where virtually all the residents are Muslim Arabs, Waweya decided to be actively engaged in Israeli society.

At the age of 16, Ella received her own Israeli ID card and even performed a year of national service concomitant to her studies in communications at an Israeli college at the age of 22. Two years later, she decided to enlist in the IDF, and joined as a new media officer in the Arabic communications section of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit (meaning in Adraee’s team), eventually becoming a deputy officer.

Similar to Adraee’s convictions, Captain Ella believed in the importance of social media and communication. She once claimed that “the media arena is a battlefield. This is a war that is no less difficult than other places,” adding that “when we look today at the October 7th massacre, when Hamas invaded Israel - they entered with cameras with the aim of changing consciousness and building a circle of hatred. We ultimately come and show our truth. We expose what the other side is doing and present our truth, and we do it with courage. This is very important and, as I said, it is no less important and no less a battle over consciousness and our truth.” Waweya also laid out her target audience, being “the Arab audience in the Middle East.”

Given that Israel has been, and continues to be, involved in devastating and prolonged conflicts across the Middle East, there is an urgent need for it to enhance its public relations and international image, both regionally and globally. This objective becomes particularly essential if Israel seeks to pursue normalization with key Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia, while also demonstrating genuine and tangible progress on the Palestinian issue and its military activities in neighboring countries. In this context, could Captain Ella, whose background is rooted in Muslim Arab heritage, serve as a strategic asset in advancing Tel Aviv’s broader vision? And could her debut coincide with a potential renewed war in Lebanon, similar to Adraee’s debut in 2006?