Israeli government votes to boycott Haaretz
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday unanimously agreed to sanction Haaretz, the country's oldest newspaper, citing its critical coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Why it matters: Press-freedom advocates slammed the move, arguing it's part of a broader effort by the Israeli government to silence voices critical of its war in Gaza.
- "We deplore the Israeli government's attempt to silence a respected Israeli outlet like Haaretz by hurting their advertising and subscription revenue," said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
- "Israel's increasing deployment of restrictions on critical media is further disturbing evidence of its efforts to prevent coverage of its actions in Gaza."
Zoom in: Israel's Cabinet approved a proposal by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi that calls for all government staffers and staffers of state-owned companies to end communications with Haaretz and stop advertising and subscription purchases with the paper.
- The proposal came in response to critical coverage of the war by Haaretz and an October speech by its publisher, Amos Schocken, who suggested sanctioning the Israeli government for violating international law.
- In a statement following the vote, Karhi said, "We will not allow a reality in which the publisher of an official newspaper in the state of Israel will call for the imposition of sanctions against it and will support the enemies of the state in the midst of a war."
The other side: In a post on X, Haaretz slammed the move, writing, "The opportunist resolution to boycott Haaretz, which passed in today's government meeting without legal review, is another step in Netanyahu's journey to dismantle Israeli democracy."
- "Like Putin, Erdoğan, and Orbán, Netanyahu is trying to silence a critical, independent newspaper. Haaretz will not balk and will not morph into a pamphlet that publishes messages approved by the government and its leader."
- Haaretz and its leaders have been encouraging readers to subscribe to Haaretz to support the outlet.
The big picture: The new measure is part of a growing effort by the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to silence press deemed critical of its war efforts.
- In May, police officers raided Al Jazeera's Jerusalem bureau and pulled the network off the air in Israel after the Israeli parliament passed a measure forcing the closure of the Qatari-owned news outlet's local office.
- That law empowers Israel's communications minister to take action against any foreign media network that it can prove poses a national security risk.
What to watch: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has created the modern blueprint for how world leaders can starve critical outlets and support favorable ones by withholding or granting government advertising dollars.
