Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an editorial on Monday, Nov. 4, disavowing its own publisher after he alluded to Hamas as "Palestinian freedom fighters."
Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken was speaking at a conference in London last Oct. 27 when he made the remarks, which instigated an outcry and calls from government ministers to crack down on the activities of the Israeli news outlet.
Schocken criticized the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not caring "about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population."
"[Netanyahu] dismisses the costs of both sides for defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters, that Israel calls terrorists," Schocken told attendees in the conference. Schocken later clarified his remarks to stress that he did not believe Hamas were freedom fighters.
The Haaretz editorial, titled "Terrorists Are Not Freedom Fighters," noted: "Deliberately harming civilians is illegitimate. Using violence against civilians and sowing terror among them to achieve political or ideological goals is terrorism. Any organization that advocates the murder of women, children and the elderly is a terrorist organization, and its members are terrorists. They certainly aren't 'freedom fighters.'"
Haaretz, which is known for being a more independent news outlet, is strongly critical of Netanyahu's administration and even provides space for moderate pro-Palestinian views, including opposition to Israeli settlements in the West Bank. (Related: Israeli newspaper confirms IDF employed ‘Hannibal Directive’ on October 7.)
Israeli minister calls for government restrictions on Haaretz
Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi, reacting to Schocken's statement, has called for several government restrictions on Haaretz.
Karhi's office proposed that "the government shall not enter into new contracts with Haaretz, including individual subscriptions for state employees, nor renew any existing contracts; and that all current agreements with Haaretz, including personal subscriptions, shall be canceled as legally feasible."
It added that the Government Advertising Agency shall "direct Haaretz to cease all advertisements, including statutory notices, regardless of payment status, and seek refunds for any existing payments."
The proposal is similar to the one released by Karhi in November 2023, when he accused the outlet of weakening Israel's war efforts in Gaza.
Minister of Justice Yariv Levin also sent a letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara seeking powers to restrict Haaretz's operations.
"I ask that you urgently provide me with a draft law stipulating that actions by Israeli citizens to promote or encourage international sanctions on Israel, its leaders, security forces, and citizens shall constitute a criminal offense punishable by ten years in prison," Levin wrote. "I further request that such an offense during wartime be considered an aggravating circumstance, allowing for the penalty to be doubled."
Levin also mentioned remarks by Schocken in his speech where he demanded sanctions to be imposed against government officials.
"Calls for sanctions against Israel constitute a severe breach of the fundamental duty of loyalty of a citizen toward their country. Such actions promote a course intended to deprive Israel of its right to self-defense," Levin said.
Follow Censorship.news for more government attempts to censor media outlets.
Watch the video below about Haaretz exposing the atrocity propaganda and rapes committed during the Oct. 7 terror attack.
This video is from the What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Poll: Majority of Israelis want to CENSOR social media posts sympathetic to Palestinians in Gaza.
American journalist arrested, barred from leaving occupied territories by Israeli authorities.
New report details Israel’s systematic sexual abuse and torture of Palestinians.
Sources include:
Please contact us for more information.