Haaretz

Haaretz (Hebrew: הָאָרֶץ, meaning "The Land [of Israel]") is an Israeli daily newspaper first published in 1918, making it the oldest continuously running newspaper in the country. It appears in Hebrew and English in the Berliner format, with an online edition as well. In North America, it is issued weekly, combining material from the Friday edition with a summary of the week's news. Haaretz serves as Israel's newspaper of record and is recognized for its left-wing and liberal positions on both domestic and foreign matters. As of 2022, it has the third-largest circulation in Israel. The paper is widely followed by international observers, particularly through its English edition, and is frequently cited in the global press. According to the Center for Research Libraries, Haaretz is regarded as the most influential and respected Israeli daily for its news reporting and commentary.

The newspaper was launched in 1918 under the sponsorship of the British military government in Palestine. In 1919, a group of socialist-leaning Zionists, mostly from Russia, took it over. It was formally established on 18 June 1919 by businessmen including philanthropist Isaac Leib Goldberg, originally under the name Hadashot Ha'aretz ("News of the Land"), later shortened to Haaretz. Its literary section attracted prominent Hebrew writers of the era. Initially based in Jerusalem, the paper saw a series of editors from 1919 to 1922, including Leib Yaffe. It briefly shut down due to a budget shortfall, then reopened in Tel Aviv in early 1923 under editor Moshe Glickson, who led it for 15 years. The Tel Aviv municipality supported it by prepaying for future advertisements. During the 1920s and 1930s, Haaretz's liberal stance was loosely tied to the General Zionist "A" faction, which later helped form the Progressive Party, though the paper remained nonpartisan and avoided endorsing any party line. It was considered the most sophisticated daily in the Yishuv.

In December 1935, Salman Schocken, a Jewish businessman who fled Germany in 1934 after the Nazis rose to power, purchased the paper. Schocken was involved in Brit Shalom, an organization advocating Jewish-Arab coexistence and sympathetic to a homeland for both peoples. His son, Gershom Schocken, became chief editor in 1939 and held the role until his death in 1990. The Schocken family owned the Haaretz Group outright until August 2006, when they sold a 25% stake to German publisher M. DuMont Schauberg, a deal brokered with help from former Israeli ambassador to Germany Avi Primor. This sale sparked controversy in Israel because Kurt Neven DuMont, the publisher's father, was a Nazi Party member whose firm promoted Nazi ideology. On 12 June 2011, Russian-Israeli businessman Leonid Nevzlin acquired a 20% stake in the Haaretz Group—15% from the Schocken family and 5% from M. DuMont Schauberg. In December 2019, the Schocken family bought back all shares held by M. DuMont Schauberg, bringing their ownership to 75%, with Nevzlin holding the remaining 25%. In October 2012, a union strike over planned layoffs caused a one-day halt in publication of Haaretz and its business supplement TheMarker—the first such strike-related shutdown since 1965, according to Israel Radio. On 24 November 2024, the Israeli government ordered a boycott of Haaretz by officials and government-funded bodies, and banned government advertising in the paper. The Guardian reported that Haaretz had published investigations into wrongdoing by senior officials and the military, making it a target of the current government. The sanctions drew condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists, as well as from Anton Harber and Irwin Manoim, founders of South Africa's Weekly Mail, who compared the measures to apartheid-era repression.

The newspaper's editorial direction was shaped by Gershom Schocken, editor-in-chief from 1939 to 1990. He was succeeded by Hanoch Marmari, then David Landau in 2004, Dov Alfon in 2008, and Aluf Benn in August 2011, who is the current editor-in-chief. Charlotte Halle became editor of the English print edition in February 2008. Walter Gross served on the editorial board and as a columnist from 1951 to 1995. Haaretz describes itself as having a broadly liberal outlook on domestic and international issues, and is characterized as liberal on security, civil rights, and the economy, supportive of the Supreme Court, and critical of Netanyahu's government. It is often labeled liberal, centre-left, or left-wing, and is considered Israel's only major left-leaning newspaper. The paper opposes the occupation of Palestinian territories and consistently backs peace initiatives. Its editorial line supports vulnerable groups in Israeli society, including sex workers, foreign laborers, Israeli Arabs, Ethiopian immigrants, and Russian immigrants.