In a dramatic decision, the Israeli government has severed ties with the influential newspaper Haaretz. State-funded institutions are now banned from advertising in or communicating with the publication.

Leading Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday that government agencies plan to cease communications and withdraw advertisements from its

This comes weeks after Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken drew flak from pro-government voices for his reference to Palestinian “freedom fighters” during a speech at the outlet’s event in London last month. Schocken had also called for international sanctions on Israeli leaders as the only way to force the government to change course.

The Israeli parliament on Sunday unanimously agreed to sanction Haaretz, the country's oldest newspaper, citing its critical coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Why it matters: Press-freedom advocates slammed the move,

Gideon Levy on why the Israeli government’s boycott of Haaretz newspaper undermines freedom of speech, Israeli media coverage of Gaza war.