The Israeli government has announced that it will cut all ties with the left-wing publication Haaretz following recent remarks by its publisher, Amos Schocken, who referred to Palestinian terrorists as “freedom fighters.”

According to a statement from Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s office, the cabinet has unanimously approved a proposal to end all government advertising and the publication of official tenders in Haaretz, both in its print version and online platform.

The government’s resolution emphasizes its commitment to press freedom and the right to free expression but asserts that it “will not accept a situation in which the publisher of an official newspaper calls for the imposition of sanctions and against it and supports its enemies in the middle of a war.”

As a result, the government has instructed all ministries, agencies, and publicly funded organizations to terminate any advertising or other forms of engagement with Haaretz. “The government will sever any advertising relationship with the newspaper Haaretz and calls on all its branches, ministries, and bodies, as well as any government corporation or body funded by it not to have contact with the Haaretz newspaper in any form and not to publish any publications in it,” the resolution states.

Minister Karhi’s office elaborated on the rationale behind the decision, pointing to “numerous articles that damaged the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the world and its right to self-defense.” Particular focus was placed on Schocken’s statements during a conference held in London last month.

At the event, Schocken remarked, “The Netanyahu government doesn’t care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. It dismisses the costs to both sides for defending the [West Bank] settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters that Israel calls terrorists.”

He further argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state could only be achieved through external pressure, stating that “the only way to establish a necessary Palestinian state is to apply sanctions against Israel, against the leaders who oppose it, and against the settlers.” His remarks sparked outrage and prompted several government ministers to advocate for a boycott.

In an effort to mitigate the backlash, Haaretz published an editorial distancing itself from Schocken’s comments. The editorial declared, “Any organization that advocates the murder of women, children and the elderly is a terrorist organization, and its members are terrorists. They certainly aren’t ‘freedom fighters.’”

{Matzav.com Israel}