Netanyahu Condemns Haaretz for Antisemitic Claims Against IDF General

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Israeli officials have strongly condemned Haaretz newspaper for publishing opinion pieces that label IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth with Nazi-era terms such as "oberkommandant" and accuse him of war crimes, collective punishment, and genocide. Netanyahu described these accusations as "antisemitic blood libels" and expressed full support for Bluth and the IDF soldiers who act against terrorism with "uncompromising morality." Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called Haaretz antisemitic and urged the IDF to sever ties with the publication, criticizing its incitement against Israeli soldiers. The controversy arose after Bluth stated that the West Bank village of al-Mughayyir would "pay a heavy price" following a shooting attack by one of its residents, after which the IDF uprooted thousands of olive trees and imposed a curfew, actions defended by the military as operationally necessary. Haaretz columnist Gideon Levy and the paper's publisher have escalated the rhetoric by branding Bluth a "war criminal" and demanding his arrest, prompting harsh rebuttals from Israeli leadership who emphasize the IDF's moral conduct and reject the newspaper's framing as damaging and inflammatory. This dispute highlights ongoing tensions within Israel over media criticism of military operations and the boundaries of public discourse on security measures in the West Bank.