Israel's Diaspora Minister Calls Haaretz 'Antisemitic.' He Hasn't Heard of Irony
Haaretz
By Linda Dayan
Mar 27, 2025 8:27 pm IDT
As a millennial, I came of age when a now-unpopular adage was still held by parents and teachers as a universal truth: If the little boy who sits behind you in class pulls your pigtails, trips you in the hallway or calls you names, it's because he likes you. The only reason for schoolyard bullying and acting out must be this Freud-tinged misdirection, and such outbursts should be met with patience – and maybe a little bit of flirting back.
With this in mind, I'm forced to grapple with the idea that Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli might have a crush on the Haaretz newspaper.
After all, he dedicated entire paragraphs in his opening remarks at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism to calling the paper "a beacon of lies," an "anti-Zionist propaganda tool" and a "source of delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel and our IDF brave soldiers [sic]." He apologized to attendees for the "lies spread" by the paper about "our friends and allies, especially our friends in the European Parliament."
I don't love every article, opinion piece or column that Haaretz prints – which should be the norm for any outlet that values freedom of speech, especially during wartime. But to single it out as a "source of delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel" seems unfair not only to the newspaper, but also to Chikli's department: it undermines the Diaspora Affairs Ministry's consistent, unyielding work in that field.
For instance, what could delegitimize the Israeli government's fight against global antisemitism more than cozying up to far-right European political parties that have roots in neo-Nazism? Or how about alienating the Anti-Defamation League, Germany's antisemitism czar, Britain's chief rabbi, Bernard-Henri Levy and other crucial allies in the name of forging deeper ties with the radical right? The Diaspora Affairs Ministry did both of those things this week when it invited far-right figures from France, Spain, Sweden, France, Hungary and other countries to the antisemitism conference.
It's also very unhelpful for the Israeli cause to hurt relations with foreign nations by openly holding phone calls with presidential candidates who've praised their nation's Nazi collaborators.
And it can be difficult to keep good relations with Western allies when you're deriding the LGBTQ community or trying to prevent the aid organizations that their governments fund from operating in the West Bank and Gaza.
Sure, Haaretz may not be a paragon of patriotism – but that's not what journalism is for. Its task is to hold those with power to account and tell the truth to the public, no matter how inconvenient it may be. That can put any newspaper at odds with any government. But were Haaretz truly the anti-Zionist, antisemitic paper bent on delegitimizing Israel that Chikli says it is, it would be cheering on his efforts.
I speak only for myself, and certainly not for the hundreds of writers, editors and staff at Haaretz, but I love Israel. I would hate to diminish its standing by associating it with political movements born out of hating our people just because they're hating a different group of people more vocally now. But guys, if this is really just a ploy for our attention, you didn't need to do all that. You can just send us flowers next time.
By Linda Dayan
Mar 27, 2025 8:27 pm IDT
As a millennial, I came of age when a now-unpopular adage was still held by parents and teachers as a universal truth: If the little boy who sits behind you in class pulls your pigtails, trips you in the hallway or calls you names, it's because he likes you. The only reason for schoolyard bullying and acting out must be this Freud-tinged misdirection, and such outbursts should be met with patience – and maybe a little bit of flirting back.
With this in mind, I'm forced to grapple with the idea that Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli might have a crush on the Haaretz newspaper.
After all, he dedicated entire paragraphs in his opening remarks at the International Conference on Combating Antisemitism to calling the paper "a beacon of lies," an "anti-Zionist propaganda tool" and a "source of delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel and our IDF brave soldiers [sic]." He apologized to attendees for the "lies spread" by the paper about "our friends and allies, especially our friends in the European Parliament."
I don't love every article, opinion piece or column that Haaretz prints – which should be the norm for any outlet that values freedom of speech, especially during wartime. But to single it out as a "source of delegitimization and demonization of the State of Israel" seems unfair not only to the newspaper, but also to Chikli's department: it undermines the Diaspora Affairs Ministry's consistent, unyielding work in that field.
For instance, what could delegitimize the Israeli government's fight against global antisemitism more than cozying up to far-right European political parties that have roots in neo-Nazism? Or how about alienating the Anti-Defamation League, Germany's antisemitism czar, Britain's chief rabbi, Bernard-Henri Levy and other crucial allies in the name of forging deeper ties with the radical right? The Diaspora Affairs Ministry did both of those things this week when it invited far-right figures from France, Spain, Sweden, France, Hungary and other countries to the antisemitism conference.
It's also very unhelpful for the Israeli cause to hurt relations with foreign nations by openly holding phone calls with presidential candidates who've praised their nation's Nazi collaborators.
And it can be difficult to keep good relations with Western allies when you're deriding the LGBTQ community or trying to prevent the aid organizations that their governments fund from operating in the West Bank and Gaza.
Sure, Haaretz may not be a paragon of patriotism – but that's not what journalism is for. Its task is to hold those with power to account and tell the truth to the public, no matter how inconvenient it may be. That can put any newspaper at odds with any government. But were Haaretz truly the anti-Zionist, antisemitic paper bent on delegitimizing Israel that Chikli says it is, it would be cheering on his efforts.
I speak only for myself, and certainly not for the hundreds of writers, editors and staff at Haaretz, but I love Israel. I would hate to diminish its standing by associating it with political movements born out of hating our people just because they're hating a different group of people more vocally now. But guys, if this is really just a ploy for our attention, you didn't need to do all that. You can just send us flowers next time.
