IDF Dumps Haaretz: Government Ban Hits Spokesman Subscription

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit has canceled its subscription to Haaretz, implementing a November 2024 government decision that bars all state bodies from engaging with the newspaper due to its relentless anti-Israel bias and promotion of Hamas terrorist narratives. It's no wonder: Haaretz's one-sided "reporting," anything but factual journalism, should be kept far from the IDF and Israeli government. The outlet has openly spread vicious anti-Israel lies about "genocide" and made horrific, disgusting accusations against IDF soldiers fighting Hamas terrorists who slaughtered 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, and kidnapped 251 others. No legitimate news source should spew such nasty Hamas-filled propaganda while Israel defends its citizens from rocket barrages and tunnel ambushes.

Reporter Doron Kadosh revealed the move on Galei Tzahal, noting it's not isolated: accounts of additional senior IDF officials were recently disconnected from the newspaper. The government resolution declares it "will not accept a situation in which the publisher of an official newspaper in the State of Israel calls for sanctions against it and supports the state's enemies in the midst of a war, at a time when international bodies challenge the legitimacy of the State of Israel, its right to self-defense, and effectively impose sanctions against it and its leaders." It accuses Haaretz of publishing editorials during the war "that challenged the State of Israel's legitimacy in the world and its right to self-defense."

The decision highlights publisher Amos Schocken's statements at a Haaretz conference in London, where he reportedly called Palestinian terrorists "freedom fighters" and demanded sanctions on Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ministers Smotrich and Ben-Gvir, claiming Netanyahu's government imposes a "cruel apartheid regime" on Palestinians. The government responded: "Therefore, the government hereby declares its intention to sever all advertising relations with the newspaper Haaretz and calls on all its branches, ministries, and bodies, as well as any government corporation or body funded by it, not to engage with Haaretz in any way and not to publish any material in it."

This boycott reflects growing frustration with Haaretz's pattern of amplifying terrorist talking points, from downplaying Hamas atrocities to echoing blood libels that fuel global antisemitism, up 400% since October 7. While Israel buries 700 fallen soldiers and returns hostages like Hadar Goldin after 11 years in terrorist captivity, outlets like Haaretz undermine national unity with falsehoods that embolden enemies. The IDF's action sends a clear message: state institutions won't fund or legitimize propaganda that betrays the soldiers protecting the nation.