Israeli ministries suspended ties with Haaretz daily over ‘freedom fighters’ comment

ANKARA

Several Israeli ministries have announced the suspension of ties with the Haaretz daily after the newspaper’s publisher described Palestinians as “freedom fighters.”

The decision came late Thursday after Haaretz owner Amos Schocken made the comments in London last Sunday, sparking controversy within Israeli political circles.

Israeli news channel Israel Hayom reported that a directive from the Ministry of the Interior includes ceasing cooperation with Haaretz over Schocken’s comments. The ministry has demanded an apology from Schocken for his description of Palestinians.

At a subsequent press conference, Schocken expressed regret over his comments, saying: “I have reconsidered my words… As for (the Palestinian group) Hamas, they are not freedom fighters.”

In his original comments, Schocken criticized the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying it is “not interested in imposing a brutal apartheid regime on the Palestinian people. It rejects the costs incurred by both sides in defending the settlements and fighting the Palestinian freedom fighters, whom Israel calls terrorists.”

He called the situation in Gaza a “second Nakba” – the “catastrophe” of the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948, when Israel was founded – and called for sanctions against Israel, claiming that this is the only way to achieve this goal. a Palestinian state.

Following Schocken’s comments, Israel’s Ministry of Culture announced it would immediately cease all advertising and collaboration with Haaretz.

The controversy intensified after Haaretz published an editorial on Wednesday suggesting that it was not surprising that serious doubts were being raised about Israel’s practice of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, part of a recent strong effort to drive Palestinians out of the area . “If it looks like ethnic cleansing, then it probably is,” the editorial said.

Haaretz’s commentary highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting that Israeli forces have been besieging northern Gaza for more than three weeks, leading to significant restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The editorial warned that continued aggression could lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of entire communities, leaving a lasting moral and legal stain on Israeli society.

The Israeli army has been waging a deadly offensive in northern Gaza since October 5, claiming it aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of trying to occupy the area and forcibly expel its residents.

In total, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 people and injured more than 101,000 since a cross-border offensive by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The Israeli attack has displaced almost the entire population of the area, amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi

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