‘Israel Hayom’ fires veteran journalist Dan Margalit

Margalit has been writing for the newspaper since it was established in 2007. He worked in the past for Maariv and Haaretz, as well as for Channels 1 and 10.

By AMY SPIRO
Updated: JUNE 7, 2017 00:13
Israel Hayom newspaper (photo credit: REUTERS)
Israel Hayom newspaper
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Senior commentator Dan Margalit announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he had been fired from Israel Hayom.
“My livelihood fell today in defense of freedom of speech,” he wrote on Tuesday afternoon. “[Editor-in-Chief] Boaz Bismuth, who is traveling right now with Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu], fired me from Israel Hayom.”
Margalit has been writing for the newspaper since it was established in 2007. He worked in the past for Maariv and Haaretz, as well as for Channels 1 and 10.
In 1977, while he was Haaretz’s correspondent in Washington, he revealed that Leah Rabin, wife of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, had a US bank account, illegal in Israel at the time. The so-called Dollar Account Affair led to Rabin’s resignation.
Bismuth only recently took the helm at Israel Hayom, after serving as its foreign affairs editor for years. The newspaper, funded by US casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, is considered to have a rightwing, pro-Netanyahu position. It has taken a strong stance in favor of US President Donald Trump.
In his tweet, Margalit said he believed he was fired for ideological reasons.
“It was not for financial reasons, since he [Bismuth] did not offer to reduce my salary,” he wrote. “I am both proud and sad.”
Margalit has written many columns that are harshly critical of the prime minister, and spoken out against Netanyahu on social media.
In an interview with Globes last week, shortly after Bismuth’s appointment, Margalit said he “had no idea” how he came to be the editor, “how it happened or why it happened.”
“Despite that I haven’t been in the office for a while, I hear things here and there,” he told Globes. “Amos [Regev, the outgoing editor], didn’t speak to me about it, not before, not during and not after.”