During a newspaper conference in London on Sunday, Haaretz publisher Amos Shokin criticized the Israeli government and said that it “ignores the costs that both sides bear in defending the settlements, while fighting Palestinian freedom fighters.”
Schocken also accused the government Netanyahu By “imposing a harsh apartheid regime” on the Palestinians, committing “ethnic cleansing,” and “usurping lands” supposedly designated for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The newspaper’s publisher described Israel’s actions in “the occupied territories and in part of Gaza” as a “second Nakba,” using the term that refers to the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in 1948 during the founding of Israel.
Schocken’s comments sparked violent reactions within IsraelGovernment officials called for ending any relations with Haaretz newspaper.
On Wednesday evening, Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel issued instructions to his employees to stop any cooperation with the daily newspaper, and the Director-General of the Ministry issued an official letter in this regard.
“We cannot and will not remain silent in the face of harm to IDF soldiers and the state’s efforts to protect its citizens,” the letter read.
Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi also proposed to the government to stop all dealings with Haaretz, including stopping advertisements in the newspaper and prohibiting any government agency from communicating with it in any way.
“It is worth noting that Haaretz is generously funded by Israeli citizens through advertising and subscriptions purchased by the government,” Karhi said.
From the statements of the newspaper publisher during the conference
- During Sunday’s conference, Schocken defended The two-state solutionBut he said this did not happen because “Israel has a government that opposes the creation of a Palestinian state.”
- He explained: “Instead, the Netanyahu government wants to continue and intensify illegal settlement on lands that were designated for a Palestinian state.”
- He stressed that the government imposes a harsh apartheid regime on the Palestinians.
- Schocken considered that Israel ignores United Nations resolutions declaring the settlements illegal.
- He continued: “Not only do they continue to build settlements, but they also support the current government ethnic cleansing For Palestinians from parts of the occupied territories.
- He considered that “what is happening now in the occupied territories and in part of… Gaza Strip “A second Nakba.”
- He added, “A Palestinian state must be established, and the only way to achieve this, I believe, is to impose sanctions on the Prime Minister of Israel and the leaders who oppose this, and against the settlers who are present in the occupied territories in violation of international law.”