Israel cuts off Haaretz from all public funding

The Israeli government voted unanimously today (Sunday) to end all ties between government and government-supported bodies and the Haaretz newspaper, in protest against the paper's alleged support for sanctions against the country and support for Israel's enemies.

The government decision was spearheaded by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who said that "we cannot allow a reality in which the publisher of an official newspaper in the State of Israel calls for imposing sanctions against it and supports the enemies of the state in the midst of war and is still funded by it, while international bodies harm the legitimacy of the State of Israel, its right to self-defense and effectively impose sanctions against it and against its leaders (including criminal sanctions)."

The decision comes following Haaretz publisher Amos Shocken's speech weeks ago comparing terrorists to freedom fighters, as well as a Haaretz editorial condeming this decision which did not condemn his call for sanctions against the country.

Haaretz further expressed official editorial support for the ICC decision to issue warrants for war crimes against Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant, a decision decried across the Israeli political spectrum as immoral and unjust.