Israel's media crackdown is bad news for press freedom

On Sunday (November 24), Israel's far-right Cabinet voted unanimously to sanction Haaretz, the nation's oldest newspaper. The motion was put forward by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud), apparently in response to critical coverage of the Israel-Hamas war and a speech by Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken, who suggested imposing sanctions on senior government officials for violating international law.

The proposal stipulates ending government advertising with the newspaper and a contact boycott. It also calls for canceling all subscriptions to the left-liberal newspaper for state employees and employees of state-owned companies.

Haaretz, which publishes in Hebrew and English and is widely respected internationally, responded to the decision by saying that the boycott "is another step in Netanyahu's journey to dismantle Israeli democracy. Like his friends Putin, Erdogan, and Orban, Netanyahu is trying to silence a critical, independent newspaper," a statement said. Noa Landau, deputy editor-in-chief wrote on social media platform X, "we will not be deterred."

Solidarity with Haaretz

Criticism was widespread among Israeli media watchdogs and within the journalism community. "It's very worrying because they want to destroy the gatekeepers, and the media is the gatekeeper," Anat Saragusti, head of the Israeli Journalists' Union, told DW.

"There is solidarity among all journalists and all media who understand that this is something big." Saragusti also said that this was just one of several attempts to restrict press freedom, including legislation to shut down Israel's public broadcaster and intimidation campaigns against individual journalists.

Nahum Barnea, a prominent commentator in the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, wrote that "while dozens of missiles fired by Hezbollah, the organization we already defeated, filled the skies overhead and millions of worried Israelis rushed to take shelter, our government was busy addressing the question that truly preoccupies its ministers: How to financially screw over a media outlet." 

Publisher's speech in the spotlight

On X, Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote, "we won't allow a reality in which a publisher of a newspaper in Israel calls for sanctions against it and supports the State's enemies in the middle of a war and will still be financially supported by the State." He also wrote, "fancy reading the poison that is Haaretz newspaper? Feel free to do so. We'll just stop funding it. Inconceivable for you [Haaretz] huh? Freedom of expression yes, funding for poison against the State and the army? Absolutely not."

In October, Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken, in a speech delivered at an event his paper had organized in London, called for international sanctions on Israeli leaders.

"A Palestinian state must be established and the only way to achieve this, I think, is to apply sanctions against Israel, against the leaders who oppose it and against the settlers who are in the occupied territories in contravention of international law," Schocken reportedly said.

His speech drew sharp criticism in Israel — including from Haaretz journalists — for referring at one point to Palestinians as "freedom fighters." Schocken subsequently clarified his comments and said his mention of Palestinian "freedom fighters" was not a reference to Hamas militants. An editorial in the newspaper criticized its publisher, saying that any organization attacking civilians is "a terrorist organization, and its members are terrorists. They are certainly not freedom fighters." 

Nevertheless, the latest move is seen by Israeli media watchdogs as an effort to silence critical coverage.

"In 2023, when the judicial overhaul started, the intention was to change the media landscape simultaneously, and Minister Karhi, when he entered his position as minister of communications, said his goal is to shut down the Public Broadcasting Corporation," said Oren Persico, editor at HaAyin HaShevi'it [Hebrew: Seventh Eye], an online magazine investigating media issues and freedom of the press. "Now they are back, there are a few bills right now trying to limit freedom of the press." 

Public broadcaster also targeted

Since its TV and radio launch in 2017, replacing the old, politically influenced Israeli Broadcast Authority (IBA), Israeli public broadcaster Kan (Hebrew: Here) has become an integral part of the country's media landscape. Its news operations include journalists from all sides of Israeli society, right and left wing alike. Its social media channels enjoy high popularity among Israelis.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his ministers tried to reduce Kan's influence from the start. In a 2016 article for right-wing newspaper Makor Rishon, journalist Amit Segal wrote that Netanyahu would like to stop Kan's establishment, even if that meant keeping the IBA.

Those attempts continue under current Communications Minister Karhi.  At the beginning of 2023, the Haaretz Group daily business newspaper TheMarker reported in February that the Netanyahu government's attempts to shut down Kan were due to it "not being prone to political pressure."

Other laws such as the so-called Al Jazeera law were also passed. In May, the Israeli government shut down Al Jazeera's office in Israel under the new law, which allows for the closure of foreign media outlets deemed a threat to national security. The Israeli military also later raided and closed Al Jazeera's Ramallah bureau in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The closure orders have been renewed every 60 days since the site was shuttered. 

Haaretz remains defiant

This latest initiative is likely to be challenged at Israel's Supreme Court, analysts said.

"It really invites an appeal to the High Court, as you shouldn't insert political views into these calculations because the objective is to get the message to the public," Persico told DW, referring to the government agencies advertising in newspapers. "The question is, will the government advertising agency really boycott Haaretz because of the political decision of the government."

Haaretz remains defiant, stating in its response to the government's decision that it "will not balk and will not morph into a government pamphlet that publishes messages approved by the government and its leader."

Edited by: Jon Shelton; Rob Mudge