The Diaspora Affairs Ministry announced that it would end all cooperation with the Haaretz newspaper group following allegations voiced this week by the publisher of the Haaretz newspaper and the head of Haaretz Group, Amos Shocken, that Israel enforces an “apartheid regime” over Palestinians.
The Ministry’s Director General, Avi Cohen-Scali, asserted that the ministry, along with the Bedouin Authority which is also under its auspices, “will suspend all existing agreements” with Haaretz and halt any future partnerships with the organization.
In a letter dated October 1, 2024, Cohen-Scali condemned Shocken’s statements, saying they included “extreme, baseless, and false statements, positioning [Haaretz] alongside the central drivers of delegitimization” against Israel. He further noted that Haaretz referred to those involved in violent attacks on Israelis as “freedom fighters,” which he described as “serious and outrageous incitement.”
Zero tolerance
The Diaspora Affairs Ministry, which is responsible for countering the delegitimization of Israel, indicated that this decision reflects a zero-tolerance approach toward entities it believes undermine the nation’s legitimacy.
The ministry’s statement emphasized that no cooperation or publications would occur with organizations that accuse IDF soldiers of “heinous actions,” marking a strong rebuke to what it sees as internal opposition to Israel’s image on the global stage.
This policy, set to take effect immediately, signals a hardline stance by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry on media outlets it considers harmful to Israel’s interests.
On Thursday, the Interior Ministry also announced that it was taking a similar step.
Schocken’s comments came during opening remarks at a Haaretz conference in London on Sunday.
He began by arguing in favor of the the-state solution but argued that this wasn’t happening since “Israel has a government that opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“Instead, the Netanyahu government wants to continue and intensify illegal settlement in the territories that were meant for a Palestinian state. It doesn’t care about imposing a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian population. It dismisses the costs of both sides for defending the settlements while fighting the Palestinian freedom fighter that Israel calls terrorists,” Schocken said.
He argued that Israel was ignoring UN resolutions declaring settlements illegal.
“Not only did they continue building settlements, but the present government also supports the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from parts of the occupied territories.
In a sense, what is taking place now in the occupied territories and in part of Gaza is a second Nakba of sending, creating refugees, even people who lived in the occupied territories in Area C and the people who live in the north part of Gaza,” Schocken said.
He added that “a Palestinian state must be established, and the only way to achieve this, I think, is to apply sanctions against Israel’s leader, against the leaders who oppose it, and against the settlers who are in the occupied territories in contravention of international law.”
“Zionism is still a justified idea for the Jewish people, but the conduct of successive Israeli governments have distorted its meaning beyond recognition. Israel needs to be put back on the right path, and unfortunately, the main way to do it, I think now, is by international pressure,” Schocken concluded.
When asked for comment, Schocken told the Jerusalem Post that he preferred not to respond but added that “it is clear that I was not referring to the events of October 7.”
