The Interior Ministry announced Thursday it would suspend all cooperation and advertising with the Haaretz newspaper following controversial remarks made by the paper's publisher, Amos Schocken, at a conference in London where he criticized Israeli policies and called for international sanctions.
Speaking at a Haaretz-organized conference, Schocken issued sharp criticism of Israeli policies, described Palestinian attackers as "freedom fighters," and claimed Israeli forces were conducting a "second Nakba" in Gaza. His comments extended to calls for international sanctions against Israel and its leadership, while characterizing government policies in the West Bank and Gaza as an "apartheid regime."
The Interior Ministry's official statement described these comments as "deeply offensive and revealing a fundamental departure from core values, particularly as Israel conducts its most justified war, initiated in response to Hamas's deadly Oct. 7 attack."
Channel 14 correspondent Yishai Friedman reported that Schocken told conference attendees that Prime Minister Benjamin "Netanyahu's government shows no concern about enforcing cruel apartheid rule over the Palestinian population," adding that "achieving a Palestinian state is only possible through sanctions targeting Israel, its opposing leadership, and settlers."
The Interior Ministry's statement emphasized that "we cannot and will not stand idle while facing attacks on IDF soldiers and the state's efforts to defend its citizens." The move represents an unprecedented break between a government ministry and a major Israeli news organization.
