Israel has approved a resolution to cut ties with Haaretz, one of the country's best-known newspapers, and to prevent government funding bodies from communicating with or advertising in the paper.
The move was reported after the government said the outlet had published articles that damaged the legitimacy of Israel and its right to self-defence, including remarks made by publisher Amos Schocken at a conference in London. The decision was not listed on the agenda for the weekly cabinet meeting, according to Haaretz's own reporting as cited by Al Jazeera.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the resolution, according to the newspaper. The government action follows a longer campaign by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who has pushed for tougher measures against Haaretz and previously proposed ending subscriptions for state employees, including the army.
Haaretz responded in unusually direct language. The paper called the measure an opportunistic boycott and said it was passed without legal review. It also accused Netanyahu of deepening an assault on Israeli democracy. In its reaction, the outlet said it would not become a government pamphlet or publish only messages approved by the state and its leader.
The dispute has become more than a row over one newspaper. It reflects the wider pressure on Israeli media during the war and the narrowing space for critical reporting. Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy told Al Jazeera that the sanctioning of the outlet sent a very bad political and moral message. He argued that many Israelis now see Haaretz as one of the few outlets still willing to challenge the official narrative of the war in Gaza.
The row intensified after Schocken's remarks in London, where he criticised the government's approach to the Palestinian population and referred to what he described as a cruel apartheid regime. The comments triggered a public backlash, and Schocken later said his use of the phrase Palestinian freedom fighters did not mean Hamas.
Still, the controversy gave hardliners fresh ammunition. Karhi renewed his campaign and described the paper as a target for boycott. That pressure has now become official policy, with the state drawing a line between institutions it works with and a newspaper that has often sharply criticised the Netanyahu government.
The broader background is a media environment shaped by war, censorship disputes and high political tension. Al Jazeera noted that Israel has cracked down on the media during the war and has killed dozens of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, while also forcing the network to shut bureaus in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
For Israel, the resolution is an assertion of political control over public institutions. For Haaretz, it is a direct threat to editorial independence and another test of how much space remains for dissent inside a country at war.
Event date: 2024-11-24.
