Israeli lawmakers in a preliminary vote approved a bill that would make free distribution of a major newspaper illegal.
The bill’s chief target is Israel Hayom, a free Israeli newspaper owned by Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson. The bill passed its first reading last week by a vote of 43 to 23.
Sponsored by Labor party lawmaker Eitan Cabel, the bill will be sent to a Knesset committee to be revised for its second and third Knesset plenum votes.
Israel Hayom, founded in 2007 and considered a mouthpiece for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is Israel’s only major free newspaper and recently became its most read paper.
“This is a bill in favor of pluralism and multiple opinions,” Cabel told the lawmakers. “It is a battle so that, in a few years, we do not become a country with only one newspaper. Sheldon Adelson wants to bury a market that is fighting for its life.
“Israel Hayom does not exist because of its success as a newspaper but because of the hundreds of millions in gambling funds funneled to it from overseas.”
Opponents of the bill, however, say it is a violation of democratic rights.
“Since when do parliaments close newspapers? Are we Bolsheviks?” asked Likud party lawmaker Moshe Feiglin, who has been the object of significant criticism in the newspaper. — jta