Israeli journalists fear for press freedom if UK billionaire sells TV channel stake

The Guardian - World NewsEN 4 min read 100% complete by Julian Borger in JerusalemFebruary 13, 2026 at 08:00 AM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

Israeli journalists are concerned that the sale of a nearly 15% stake in Channel 13 by British billionaire Leonard Blavatnik to Patrick Drahi, a telecoms tycoon, will harm press freedom in Israel. Channel 13 has been critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Drahi already owns a cable television company and a news channel in Israel with less critical coverage. The Union of Journalists in Israel has called the sale an "unlawful deal" that is part of a plan to capture the media before the upcoming elections. While Drahi's stake is just under 15%, the maximum allowed, critics fear he will gain control of the channel's policy due to Blavatnik's unwillingness to invest further. They argue this could reduce diversity of opinions and freedom of speech.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Altice 40% Israeli Ministry of Communications 40% Anat Saragusti ×250% United Kingdom 50% Union of Journalists in Israel ×270% Benjamin Netanyahu ×370% Patrick Drahi ×480% Channel 13 ×480% Leonard Blavatnik ×590% Israel ×390%

Keywords

press freedom 100% media independence 80% channel 13 70% benjamin netanyahu 60% media ownership 60% telecoms tycoon 50% legal battle 40% financial dealings 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

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press freedom media independence channel 13 benjamin netanyahu media ownership telecoms tycoon legal battle financial dealings

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