From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Lapid says Netanyahu carrying out ‘planned, orchestrated attack’ against the press
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of carrying out “a planned, orchestrated attack” against the Israeli press during an “emergency” conference on freedom of expression in the Knesset State Control Committee attended by media representatives.
“In what country – in what type of country – does the prime minister speak in parliament against the basic idea of a free press? In what sort of country is criticism of the government – the most basic role of the media – labeled as treachery?” he asks.
“Democracy must protect itself. The two basic qualities of a democracy – the qualities that differentiate it from every other type of regime – are its ability to critique itself and to improve itself. Both are impossible without a free press. Both are under attack.”
Israel has fallen 15 spots in Reporters Without Borders’ annual press freedom index since the government took power in 2022 but “that’s not enough for this government. It wants us to drop further,” Lapid continues, citing recent legislative initiatives aimed at granting the government oversight of television ratings data and privatizing the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and Army Radio.
In addition, “they tried to appoint a director-general at Channel 13 who would work for them…and the government voted unanimously to cancel all its advertising in Haaretz,” the Yesh Atid chairman continues.
“If they can end government advertising in Haaretz because of political statements, do you really think they can’t halt advertising on Channel 12? If they can legislate against the public broadcaster, they can’t legislate against Channel 13? Is there anything in the behavior of this government that makes you believe they’ll stop? That they have red lines?” he asks.
Netanyahu ‘ government does not “want balance, it wants media like in Hungary, like in Russia – restrained, frightened, submissive, shallow,” he asserts, warning that “if this current legislation passes without a fight, there will be an even more dangerous wave of legislation.”
“They’re just waiting to see how we respond. They’ll only stop if they’re met with fierce resistance. If we don’t stop it now, together – it won’t stop. If we don’t fight back now, there won’t be a chance to fight back. Whoever is silent now, will be next,” he says.
