Israel government sanctions free press

[username8348]

Israel’s government is set to punish the country’s leading left-leaning newspaper, Haaretz, by ordering a boycott of the publication by government officials or anyone working for a government-funded body and halting all government advertising in its pages or website.

In a statement on Sunday, the office of Shlomo Karhi, the communications minister, said that his proposal against Haaretz had been unanimously approved by other ministers.

“We will not allow a reality in which the publisher of an official newspaper in the state of Israel will call for the imposition of sanctions against it and will support the enemies of the state in the midst of a war and will be financed by it,” the statement said.

“We advocate a free press and freedom of expression, but also the freedom of the government to decide not to fund incitement against the state of Israel.”

“We advocate a free press and freedom of expression, but also the freedom of the government to decide not to fund incitement against the state of Israel.”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/24/israeli-government-orders-officials-to-boycott-left-leaning-paper-haaretz

Anyone would think they were authoritarian.

I thought Israel was supposed to be a democracy? Sanctioning a news paper doesn't sound very democratic.

Forever Israel! 🇮🇱

I’m surprised it’s Taken them this long to sanction them as hasretz has been quite critical with the government. They’ve done it to other newspapers so I’m not surprised they’re doing it as well to their own news

Free press is the cornerstone of a democracy.
Thomas Jefferson said it better than I ever could. when he stated "The most effectual hitherto found is the freedom of the press. it is therefore the first shut up by those who fear the investigation of their actions."
The Israeli government has a lot to fear.

I don't know what Haaretz has said, but restricting the free press because you don't like what has been printed tells me more about the character of the Government and the direction it's going than a lot of things, to be honest.

To be clear, I'm not on either side on this war, I have no investment personally, but in history other countries have done this and it didn't turn out well for them.

It was only a matter of time tbh. The Israeli government are not like a western style democracy that their supporters like to claim they are. Free speech is only free if it's pro-Israel, anything contrary is labelled as 'hate-speech'

“We advocate a free press and freedom of expression, but also the freedom of the government to decide not to fund incitement against the state of Israel.”
It is not inciting against the State of Israel, it is critical of and questioning the current government, as most good independent media do. The fact that they are equating the current government and their policies with the Israeli state is a red flag.

What do you mean?

Are you supportive of the sanctioning? If so, why?

Israel is no longer a democracy

This

This is what I heard. That Israeli media does not fully represent what's going on in Palestine. Not just the invasion but for decades so that Israeli's aren't really aware of what's going on and their views of Palestinians is scewed.

100%. I'm not sure if it ever truly was, though.

This is very true, in my experience. People can have very limited awareness of what is happening just a few miles away.

I saw an interview with an Israeli and she was talking about the indoctrination she had experienced. Of course this is just one person's experience.

However our view of our own government's foreign policy can be just as biased.

In this day and age, ignorance is a choice. I assume that Israelis have unrestricted access to the internet. The "we didn't know" defence doesn't wash anymore, especially in a country of high technology achievement.

Indeed, and people often choose to accept the narrative presented to them, rather than question it and seek out different perspectives. People choose the safe, comfortable narrative that fits with their established world view, rather than one that requires them to reconsider everything they've been taught. It's not an excuse, but it's a partial explanation.

Totally.

True. Israelis do have unrestricted access to the internet. They know what's happening, which is why there are people who make videos mocking the suffering of the Palestinians. ☹️

Interesting article about the sanction by the editor in chief.