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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Julian Borger in Jerusalem

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

People stand in a room in front of a giant screen displaying a broadcast from Channel 13 with an exit poll, showing pictures of Benny Gantz and Benjamin Netanyahu
A giant screen displaying a broadcast from Channel 13 with an exit poll after polls closed in the 2020 Israeli elections. Photograph: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli journalists have appealed to a British billionaire not to proceed with the sale of a stake in an Israeli television channel, which they warn would represent a severe blow to the independence of the country’s media.

Sir Leonard Blavatnik, listed by the Sunday Times as the UK’s third richest person, is selling a nearly 15% share in Channel 13, a commercial channel that has run critical news coverage of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in recent years, including investigations into the prime minister’s financial dealings.

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