Pressure from 'Likud' Succeeds: 'Haaretz' Newspaper's Massive Campaign Suddenly Cancelled
Following an appeal by an attorney on behalf of the ruling party, the signage company removed the central sign at the Azrieli complex. The media group is outraged and accuses 'Likud' of attempting to silence a critical media outlet.
An outdoor campaign launched this week by the newspaper 'Haaretz' throughout Gush Dan was suddenly removed shortly after it went up, following a stormy legal and political confrontation. The campaign, launched ahead of the 2026 elections and featuring the slogan 'It is possible' alongside messages about the necessity of a free press for democracy, drew the ire of the ruling party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'Likud' representative, attorney Ilan Bombach, sent urgent warning letters to the newspaper's management and the signage franchisee, the 'Baram' company. In his letter, Bombach claimed that this was not an innocent commercial advertisement, but prohibited election propaganda intended to influence voters and encourage a change of government.
The legal pressure triggered a chain of reactions: the 'Baram' company rushed to remove the central signage at the Azrieli complex, citing an agreement with the mall that prohibits the posting of political content. Following the removal of the sign at Azrieli, the 'Haaretz' group decided to cancel the entire physical campaign and settle for continuing its distribution digitally. This is according to a report published this morning (Thursday) in 'TheMarker'.
The 'Haaretz' group strongly rejected the claims, arguing that it is a clear branding campaign aimed at strengthening investigative and independent journalism, and that 'Likud' is abusing election laws to try and silence a critical media outlet.
