Israeli journalists have appealed to a British billionaire not to go ahead with the sale of a stake in an Israeli television channel, which they warn could represent a serious blow to the country’s media independence.
Sir Leonard Blavatnik, listed by the Sunday Times as the UK’s third-richest man, is selling a nearly 15% stake in Channel 13, which broadcasts key news in recent years, including investigations into the prime minister’s financial dealings with Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Blavatnik is selling to Patrick Drahi, a telecoms tycoon who holds French, Portuguese and Israeli nationalities. Drahi already owns a cable television company and a news channel in Israel, which generally maintains little critical coverage of Netanyahu.
The rest of Drahi’s business empire is heavily in debt and he is embroiled in a legal battle with his creditors in the US.
Israel’s journalists’ union released a statement calling the sale an “illegal deal” that could further erode press freedom in the country and described it as part of the Netanyahu government’s “master plan to capture the media” ahead of scheduled elections this year.
“The Union of Journalists is confident that Sir Blavatnik, known for his generous philanthropy, would not support any move to undermine press freedom in Israel,” the statement said.
Blavatnik is selling just a 15% stake in Channel 13, the maximum allowed under Israeli competition laws to be sold to a competitor with an existing media property, but critics argue that as the sole investor in the channel (Blavatnik was reluctant to invest more after years of heavy losses), Drahi would have real control.
“While Patrick Drahi is only buying 15%, our fear is that by buying 15%, he will get 100% of the channel’s policy,” said Anat Saragusti, who monitors press freedom for the Union of Journalists. “Because if he’s the only one who can pour money into the channel and make it sustainable, it’s entirely up to him.”
“This is a loss-loss for the Israeli people in terms of freedom of speech and diversity of opinion,” Saragusti added.
Drahi’s company, Altice, Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s communications ministry did not respond when contacted for comment.
Ayala Paniewski, a presidential fellow in journalism at City St George, University of London, compared the fight against Channel 13 to the fate of the Washington Post under US billionaire Jeff Bezos, who steered it closely to Donald Trump and last week. About a third was axed Its workforce has laid off hundreds of journalists.
Paniewski published a book last year, The New Censorship: How the War on Media is Bringing Us Downon the siege on the free press mounted by populists around the world. She called the Washington Post and Channel 13 cases “part of a raging war on independent and critical journalism, launched by a coalition of populist authoritarians and boosters of the oligarchy”.
She said: “Media owners face the heat because they are in positions of influence and colluding with governments to undermine press freedom.”
Israeli journalists fear that Drahi’s takeover could lead to large-scale job losses similar to those experienced by their Washington Post colleagues.
A consortium of liberal Israeli tech entrepreneurs has made a rival bid for 74% of Channel 13. A source close to the group said it was prepared to invest between $80m and $120m (£59m to £88m) over three years.
A spokesman for Blavatnik’s parent company, Access Industries, denied there was any political pressure to sell to Drahi. “Any suggestion that the preferred offer was chosen for political reasons is completely false,” the spokesperson said. “After discussions with two different groups, Patrick Drahi’s proposal was chosen because it represented a good compromise. [Channel] 13.”
The spokesman added: “His offer will enable an urgent injection of funds into the channel to support it [Channel] 13’s sustainability, expanding its reach and investing in high-quality content, innovation and digital transformation will enable it to continue to deliver value to its audience. may die Of the two propositions, it is the higher verified amount, and in the end the stronger, faster option prevails.
The company denied Israeli reports that Netanyahu’s government had signaled to Blavatnik that a purchase of the channel by a liberal tech consortium would not receive official approval. “Sir Leonard Blavatnik, or anyone on behalf of Access, has not spoken to any government official about this. [Channel] 13,” the spokesperson said.
Netanyahu and his ministers have launched a concerted campaign to reshape Israel’s media landscape ahead of this year’s elections. The Prime Minister is now on trial on corruption charges that include allegedly receiving favorable financial treatment in return for positive coverage.
Last month a government minister sued an investigative journalist at Channel 12, the only other major independent news channel, for a record 12 million shekels (£2.86m) in damages.
The government imposed financial sanctions on the independent newspaper Haaretz, accusing it of “supporting the enemy” over its criticism of the Gaza war.
The tech consortium will continue to argue its case for buying Channel 13, and Israel’s antitrust authorities or its Supreme Court are expected to block Drahi’s bid, the Union of Journalists said. Meanwhile, reporters hope Blavatnik will change his mind.
“If Channel 13 falls, it will be the end of the free press in Israel, because the rest will fall after that. This is the tipping point,” Saragusti said. “I think Blavatnik didn’t really understand that this was not just an economic problem, but a milestone in Israeli democracy.”
