Many journalists and reporters at "Haaretz" spoke out this evening (Thursday) against the newspaper's publisher, Amos Schocken, following the uproar surrounding his harsh statements against Israel and its security policy. In their statements, they claimed that they oppose referring to Palestinian terrorists as "freedom fighters" – despite the term having been published in articles and columns of the newspaper many times in the past.
"We, journalists at 'Haaretz' covering the war and its consequences, unequivocally oppose the notion that terrorists, regardless of their identity, should be considered freedom fighters," the joint statement published by the reporters on social media claimed. "Our position is that acts of murder and attacks against innocent people are not acceptable means in any struggle."
As a reminder, it was reported last night on Channel 14 about Shoken's statements against Israel at a conference in London, where he referred to Palestinian terrorists as "freedom fighters" and claimed that the IDF is carrying out a "second Nakba" in Gaza. He also called for sanctions against Israel and its leaders, and accused the government of imposing an "apartheid regime" in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
"The Netanyahu government doesn't care about imposing a brutal apartheid regime on the Palestinian population," Shoken claimed. "The only way to achieve a Palestinian state is through sanctions on Israel, against the leaders who oppose it, and on settlers."
Shoken's words sparked widespread outrage in Israel, with many government offices subsequently announcing the severing of all ties with the newspaper and the cessation of publications and collaborations until further notice. Additionally, the Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin sent an urgent letter to the Legal Advisor to the Government, demanding expedited action to prepare a legal declaration that would impose criminal penalties on Israeli citizens who act and encourage "the imposition of international sanctions on Israel, its leaders, security forces personnel, and Israeli citizens."
