ANKARA

Multiple Israeli state ministries have announced the suspension of ties with daily Haaretz after the newspaper’s publisher described Palestinians as "freedom fighters."

This decision late Thursday came after Haaretz owner Amos Schocken made the comments in London last Sunday, which sparked controversy within Israeli political circles.

Israeli news outlet Israel Hayom reported that an Interior Ministry directive includes halting cooperation with Haaretz due to Schocken's remarks. The ministry has demanded an apology from Schocken for his description of 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 the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that 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 fighters, that Israel calls terrorists."

He referred to the situation in Gaza as a "second Nakba" – the “catastrophe” of the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948, when Israel was founded – and called for sanctions on Israel, claiming that this is the only way to achieve a Palestinian state.

Following Schocken's remarks, the Israeli Culture Ministry announced it would immediately cease all advertising and collaborations with Haaretz.

The controversy intensified after Haaretz published an editorial on Wednesday suggesting it was not surprising that serious doubts arose about Israel's practice of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, part of a recent forceful effort to force Palestinians out of the area. "If it looks like ethnic cleansing, it probably is,” said the editorial.

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

The editorial warned that continued aggression could lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of entire communities, leaving a lasting moral and legal stain on Israeli society.

The Israeli army has sustained a deadly offensive in northern Gaza since Oct. 5, claiming it aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Palestinians, however, accuse Israel of seeking to occupy the area and forcibly displace its residents.

Overall, Israeli forces have killed more than 43,000 people since a cross-border offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023 and injured over 101,000.

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

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

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi​​​​​​​