Government officials called to terminate any ties with Haaretz newspaper after its publisher, Amos Schocken, called Palestinian terrorists "freedom fighters."
On Wednesday evening, Interior Minister Moshe Arbel instructed his staff to effectively stop any collaboration with the daily, with the ministry's director-general issuing a formal letter to that effect. "We cannot and will not remain silent in the face of harm to IDF soldiers and the state's efforts to protect its citizens," the director wrote.
During a Haaretz conference in London, Schocken criticized the Israeli government, claiming "It dismisses the costs [to] both sides for defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls 'terrorists.'"
He further accused the Netanyahu government of “imposing a cruel apartheid regime” on the Palestinian Arab population and usurping lands supposedly designated for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Schocken's comments generated significant backlash, particularly after labeling Israel's actions in "the occupied territories and in part of Gaza" as a "second Nakba,” using the Arab term meaning “disaster” for Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.
Schocken's remarks reached Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who proposed to the government that all dealings with Haaretz be halted. This includes ending government press office advertisements in the newspaper and prohibiting any governmental agency from communicating with Haaretz in any form.
"It is worth noting that Haaretz is generously funded by Israeli citizens through advertisements and subscriptions purchased by the government," Karhi said. "Halting the purchase of services from Haaretz by government bodies will ease the significant distress Israeli citizens feel, not only from the newspaper's publications but also from being compelled to fund it with their tax money. This approach will mitigate the harm to Israeli citizens without disproportionately infringing on freedom of expression.
"Israel's status as a buyer of advertisements and subscriptions from Haaretz is that of a party to a contract. This is not an administrative action, but rather a contractual decision subject to free will. By adopting its current line, Haaretz surely considered that this extreme position could alienate some of its clientele. The State of Israel is a customer of Haaretz."
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