The Ethics Committee of the Israel Press and Media Council called an opinion piece published by Uri Misgav in the Ha'aretz newspaper against the haredi public "racist and inciting," and ruled that the article must be removed from the company website.
In January of this year, Misgav published an opinion piece attacking haredi Jews. The article featured antisemitic tropes, blaming the haredi community for the spread of COVID-19.
"The haredim are more dangerous to Israel's present and future than Hezbollah missiles and the Iranian nuclear program," wrote Misgav in his piece, adding: "The damage they cause is tangible and happens on a daily basis."
"The spread of COVID-19, because it's such a big crisis, has revealed the truth. The haredim are in charge here. Israel is being plagued by the virus mainly because of them," he wrote at the time, going on to repeat the myth about haredim receiving more funding than other social and religious groups. "In the past six months, they have, of course, been the first to repeatedly receive budget perks of hundreds of millions of shekels to their yeshivas and educational institutions, which have continued to operate unhindered."
The council, of which Ha'aretz is a member, received complaints against the article from Elad Zadikov, CEO of Ofek Jewish Information, together with the Btsalmo organization. The tribunal ruled that "...we can only determine that the article...uses the author's unacceptable and condemnatory language to discredit the entire haredi community and if all this isn't enough, makes all haredim look like an enemy of the people and state of Israel."
"[The article is filled with] incitement, creating a feeling of imminent danger and encouraging a civil war among Israelis," it continued.
"The use of the term 'secular intifada' which makes a celebrity of anyone who actually goes through with such a thing can only be interpreted as a call for physical violence against an entire segment of the population and and we have no choice but to state that Ha'aretz and the journalist Uri Misgav violated Rule 14A of the Code of Ethics of the Press and Media Council in Israel."
The court ruled that the newspaper and Misgav would be reprimanded, and that the article should be removed from the newspaper's website.
Shai Glick, CEO and founder of Btsalmo said: "The truth has come out. This is an inciting and offensive article which in the words of the Press Council, could lead to a civil war. We call on Ha'aretz to suspend Uri Misgav until he takes responsibility for the incitement and apologizes. This decision is clearly a message to the media that we're all for freedom of expression, but not incitement against the haredi community. We will continue to fight for the human rights of all Israeli citizens and haredi public in particular."
Elad Zadikov, Deputy Mayor of Herzliya, said: "I welcome the decision...to reprimand Ha'aretz, and remove the article from their online publication."
"This is a very important message, because the haredim aren't a doormat for the media. This poisonous verbal attack and numerous others have, in recent years, been directed mainly against them - and have no place - not when it comes to the haredim or other parts of our society," he continued.
"Misgav's call for an intifada against the haredim, as well as making them appear as a bigger threat than Iran and Hezbollah is clearly crossing the line...It's imperative for the committee to convey a message that the media must lead a respectful discourse with regards to the Jewish people and the haredi sector in particular. The haredi community works toward maintaining the Jewish spirit and identity of the State of Israel, and contributes to it in all walks of life," concluded Zadikov.