Tue Feb 18th, 2025

Lapid accuses Netanyahu of an “orchestrated attack on the press”

December 4th 2024 , , , ,
Yair Lapid. Photo: X.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of carrying out a “planned and orchestrated attack on the press” by pushing for measures such as banning public agencies from advertising in the liberal Israeli daily Haaretz and attempting to privatise the public broadcaster Kan.

The issue was discussed on Wednesday at an "emergency" meeting called by Lapid at the State Control Committee of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) which was also attended by media representatives.

“In what country, in what kind of country, does the Prime Minister speak in parliament against the basic idea of ​​a free press? In what kind of country is criticism of the government, the most basic role of the media, considered treason?“asked Lapid, who is due to be Israeli prime minister in 2022.

Israel has fallen 15 places in Reporters Without Borders' annual press freedom index since the government took power in 2022, as intimidation of journalists on the ground, especially at anti-government protests, has also intensified.

Lapid also criticized other legislative initiatives by the government coalition parties as one that seeks granting the executive power to oversee audience data or also privatising Army Radio, one of Israel's oldest media outlets.

“Democracy must protect itself. The two basic qualities of a democracy, which distinguish it from any other type of regime, are its ability to self-criticize and improve. Both are impossible without a free press and both are under attack,” Lapid lamented.

The opposition leader said the ban on Haaretz's institutional advertising was due to its critical coverage of the current government.

The Netanyahu government “does not want balance, it wants a media like in Hungary, like in Russia: moderate, scared, submissive, superficial,” Lapid said.

Although Lapid did not refer to it, The government is also seeking to promote the so-called “Al Jazeera law”, which aims to transform into law a government regulation passed last year that closed the Qatari media outlet's Ramallah offices, from which it also reported on Israel, and banned its broadcasts in the country.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi – the architect of the Al Jazeera law – refuted Lapid's accusations, saying that such laws “increase freedom of expression.”

“I work for the good of the citizens, not the media. The public wants diversity of opinions, from the right to the left”, said the minister in defense of these legislative initiatives, which according to him, seek to liberalize the market.

Agencies contributed to this Aurora article.

8 thoughts on “Lapid accuses Netanyahu of an “orchestrated attack on the press””
  1. A house divided will not stand. There is too much division in a country that is at war that may or may not determine its existence.

    1. LAPID was part of the surrender of the sea to LEBANON, and now it sits waiting in troubled waters. If they wanted to kill DONALD TRUMP, what can we expect here in ISRAEL where everything bad is good, and everything good is bad.

  2. Dear Lapid, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, the state of Sonora has its own TV channel for the publication of all the activity of the life of the state, the TV channel is called Telemax

    In addition, the federal government
    He advertises through a program called morning shows, where all the official actions of the day are broadcast.

    I believe that Netanyahu has the right, as does the Israeli government, to have a TV channel to report on all the activities carried out by the Israeli government.
    Very good idea from Benjamin Netanyahu…whoever is against him does not love his beloved people of Israel. In Mexico they are called Contreras…

    May God bless, protect, strengthen and give wisdom to Israel and Mexico always...!!!

  3. This Lapid, a seditious and coup-monger, who threatened to shed innocent Jewish blood in the streets of Israel (which he did succeed in doing by provoking and promoting the terrorist attack on 7/10/23) if his infamous demands were not met, defends the media that openly supports the coup d'état that would bring down the legitimate government of Natanyahu and his political partners elected by the majority of the Jews of Israel!!!!
    This infamous and vile traitor to the People and the Jewish State of Israel, handed over Israel's gas to Hezbollah in exchange for O'Biden's promise, made by Hochtein, to support him politically, so he did not hesitate to betray Israel by accepting the maritime limits that left the Israeli gas maritime deposits to Hezbollah, so I hope, one day, he will be accused, tried and convicted of high treason to the People and the State of Israel!!!!

  4. Yair Llapid reminds me of Hugo Rafael Chavez Farias, this is how the dictatorship in Venezuela begins. The Israelis are eating barbecue and they want to eat Wednesday.

  5. Yair Lapid should stay quiet. I appreciate that you let him know. Now everyone is better than Prime Minister Netanyahu. Not everyone has the experience of overcoming the good decisions made by the Prime Minister. Otherwise, there would be no State of Israel.

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