Workers at Ma'ariv will hold an emergency meeting Sunday over reports that the paper is to be sold to Israeli businessman Shlomo Ben-Zvi, the owner of the Makor Rishon newspaper. According to a report filed by Ma'ariv with the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange over the weekend, the paper is to be purchased by Shlomo Ben-Zvi, the owner of the Makor Rishon newspaper. Maariv is to be sold for NIS 85 million. Some 2,000 people work at Ma'ariv, and workers fear that the current or new management will take advantage of the change of ownership to fire large numbers of workers. Members of the editorial staff are also said to be concerned that the new owner, who is known for taking an editorial interest in the paper, will attempt to turn Ma'ariv from its current position as a left of center paper to a centrist or even right-wing paper.

Maariv is heavily in debt and is said to be on the verge of bankruptcy. To save costs, the paper recently announced that it cease to print a daily edition of the paper, opting only for a web edition, with the print paper coming out only on Fridays and holiday eves.