The Israeli parliament on Sunday unanimously agreed to sanction Haaretz, the country's oldest newspaper, citing its critical coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Why it matters: Press-freedom advocates slammed the move,

YouTube ScreenshotsWikimedia Commons New York, November 25, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Israel to end its sanctions against Israel’s Haaretz newspaper — the latest in the government’s efforts to stifle independent reporting of its war in Gaza.

The Haaretz news outlet called the decision ‘another step in Netanyahu’s journey to dismantle Israeli democracy’.

This comes weeks after Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken drew flak from pro-government voices for his reference to Palestinian “freedom fighters” during a speech at the outlet’s event in London last month. Schocken had also called for international sanctions on Israeli leaders as the only way to force the government to change course.

Leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday that government agencies plan to cease communications and withdraw advertisements from its

Since October 7, press freedom in Israel has faced increasing restrictions, including banning articles, anti-press rhetoric from officials, alleged attempts to control news outlets, and attacks on reporters.

Gideon Levy on why the Israeli government’s boycott of Haaretz newspaper undermines freedom of speech, Israeli media coverage of Gaza war.

In a dramatic decision, the Israeli government has severed ties with the influential newspaper Haaretz. State-funded institutions are now banned from advertising in or communicating with the publication.