Pressure of Truth
Exposing the spin on all sides of the news.
Outlet profile

Haaretz (Opinion)

Israeli center-left / left-liberal

Owned bySchocken family (75%) and Leonid Nevzlin, Russian-Israeli businessman (25%)
FundingPrimarily digital and print subscriptions, supplemented by advertising; no state funding
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Haaretz was founded in 1918 during the British Mandate period, initially as an English-language military bulletin, then converted to a Hebrew-language civilian paper in 1919. The Schocken family, German-Jewish publishers and intellectuals, acquired it in 1935, and it has remained under their majority control ever since, with Amos Schocken serving as publisher into the 2020s. In 2011, exiled Russian-Israeli oligarch Leonid Nevzlin purchased a 20% stake; after German co-owner M. DuMont Schauberg sold its shares in 2019, Nevzlin's stake rose to 25%. Haaretz developed a reputation as Israel's newspaper of record for the liberal, secular, and academic elite, consistently favoring territorial compromise, civil liberties, and a two-state solution. Its Opinion section in particular has been a platform for left-wing and dovish voices, drawing fierce criticism from the Israeli right. In late 2024, the Netanyahu government voted to boycott Haaretz — banning government officials from speaking to the paper and halting state advertising — over editorials it accused of supporting Israel's enemies; Israel's Attorney General subsequently called the boycott legally improper. Despite financial pressure from the boycott, Haaretz has maintained its critical editorial line, continuing to publish pieces that challenge both the Israeli government's conduct and the Trump administration's support for Israeli policies.

Sources

  1. Haaretz – Wikipedia
  2. Haaretz – Bias and Credibility – Media Bias/Fact Check
  3. Israeli government announces boycott of Haaretz – Middle East Monitor
  4. Israel's Attorney General Tells Netanyahu Government That Its Boycott of Haaretz Violates the Law – Haaretz
  5. Shareholders Bought Haaretz Stock Owned by M. DuMont Schauberg – Haaretz
  6. Netanyahu's Support for Settlements Is Sabotaging Trump's Plan – Haaretz Editorial
  7. Israel government's boycott of Haaretz – The Conversation
  8. Amos Schocken – Wikipedia

Profile compiled 2026-08-14; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

← Back to track record