The War of Minds. Commentator Amit Segal says that the English-language Haaretz website constitutes the main threat to Israel's image in the world.
According to Segal, most information coming from the Middle East is based on few sources, and due to the lack of independent journalists in the Gaza Strip, www.haaretz.com has become the leading source for the formation of a negative image of Israel in the international arena.
"Since 90% of the core information comes from the Middle East and since there are almost no independent journalists in Gaza, the number one source for negative information, negative perception about Israel, is www.haaretz.com. I see www.haaretz.com as the number one threat on Israel’s position in the world. Why?."
Segal noted that various publications in Haaretz legitimize international accusations against Israel. As soon as the English website, which is even worse than the Hebrew version, publishes information justifying sanctions and portrays Israel as guilty of everything bad that happens - it gives Israel's critics a perfect excuse.
According to him, the most prominent example of this is the way the issue of violence in Judea and Samaria is presented. " Also, this is an Israeli failure, because once www.haaretz.com, which is even worse than www.haaretz.co.il provides information that justifies the assumption, according to which Israel is to be blamed for each and every bad thing that happens and that settler violence is ten times more than Palestinian violence in the West Bank, for instance, where the reality is that the Palestinian violence is a thousand times more than settlers’ violence, it gives full legitimacy to those hostile elements. They, the people who don’t like Israel, get the perfect excuse. Why? Because it was published in Israel, in an Israeli news outlet, therefore it is credible."