Cabinet Severs Advertising Ties with Haaretz over Publisher’s Anti-Israel Positions

Photo Credit: Amir Levy/FLASh90

Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken, February 17, 2015.

The Israeli government on Sunday unanimously approved Communications Minister Shlomo Kerei’s proposal that all government bodies or those budgeted by it not contact the Haaretz newspaper in any way and not purchase any ad space in it.

“The government hereby declares its intention to sever all advertising ties with the Haaretz newspaper and calls on all of its branches, ministries, and bodies, as well as any government corporation or entities funded by it, not to contact Haaretz in any way and not to publish any advertising in it,” the proposed resolution stated.

Minister Kari began promoting the move against Haaretz about a year ago. A year ago, Kari wrote in a letter he sent to Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox under the title, “Taking action against Haaretz newspaper for spreading defeatist and false propaganda,” the minister wrote:

“Since the beginning of the war, my office has received many complaints that the Haaretz newspaper is taking an offensive line, undermining the goals of the war and weakening the military effort and its social resilience. It is conceivable that some of its publications even cross the criminal threshold set in those remote sections of the Penal Code, which are reserved for wartime.”

The move to cut off Haaretz became more aggressive following a speech that was given by Haaretz publisher Amos Shoken in London, in which he said that the Netanyahu government “doesn’t care about imposing a brutal apartheid regime on the Palestinian population, it ignores the cost to both sides of defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters, whom Israel calls terrorists.” Shoken added that “only sanctions against Israel will bring Israel back to the good path.”

Following the publication of the speech, there was a decrease in the newspaper’s advertising and a wave of subscription cancellations. Shoken was also criticized by journalists from his own newspaper. Some of them wrote on social media: “We, journalists at Haaretz who cover the war and its consequences, unequivocally oppose the fact that terrorists, regardless of who they are, should be considered freedom fighters. Our position is that murders and attacks on innocent people are not a suitable means of containment in any struggle.”

The Journalists’ Organization issued a statement in response, saying, “The government’s decision to impose sanctions on Haaretz is intended to harm the freedom of expression of dozens of journalists at the newspaper and to harm their source of income. The decision is intended to sow fear and awe among journalists who do their jobs faithfully and serve a large public of readers.”