ANKARA

Several Israeli state ministries announced the suspension of ties with the daily Haaretz after the paper’s editor described Palestinians as “freedom fighters”.

That decision came late Thursday after Haaretz owner Amos Schocken made the comments last Sunday in London that sparked controversy in Israeli political circles.

The Israeli news institute Israel Hayom reported that an Interior Ministry directive includes stopping cooperation with Haaretz because of Schocken’s remarks. The ministry apologized to Schocken for his description of the Palestinians.

In a subsequent press conference, Schocken expressed regret for his comments, stating: “I have reconsidered my words… As for (Palestinian group) Hamas, they are not freedom fighters.”

In his original remarks, Schocken criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying it “doesn’t care to impose a cruel apartheid regime on the Palestinian people. It rejects the costs of both sides defending settlements while fighting Palestinian freedom fighters, whom Israel calls terrorists.”

He referred to the situation in Gaza as a “second Nakba” – the “catastrophe” of mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948, when Israel was founded – and called for sanctions against Israel, saying it was the only way to obtain. a Palestinian state.

Following Schocken’s statements, Israel’s Ministry of Culture announced that it would immediately cease all advertising and collaborations with Haaretz.

The controversy intensified after Haaretz published an editorial on Wednesday suggesting that it was no surprise that serious doubts had been raised about Israel’s practice of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, part of a recent forced effort to force Palestinians out of area. “If it sounds like ethnic cleansing, it probably is,” the editorial said.

Haaretz’s commentary highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, noting that Israeli forces have besieged northern Gaza for over three weeks, leading to significant restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The editorial warned that continued aggression could displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and destroy entire communities, leaving a lasting moral and legal stain on Israeli society.

The Israeli military has been waging a deadly offensive in northern Gaza since October 5, claiming it is aiming to prevent Hamas from regrouping. The Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of trying to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 people since the October 7, 2023 cross-border Hamas offensive and wounded more than 101,000.

The Israeli assault has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has resulted in severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Written by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​

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