Haggai Matar

Haggai Matar

Haggai Matar is an award-winning Israeli journalist and political activist, and is the executive director of +972 Magazine.

Recent Articles
An Israeli soldier confronts a photographer documenting a raid on the Old City of Hebron, the occupied West Bank, October 4, 2025. (Mosab Shawer/Activestills)
15 articles a day: The extent of the Israeli army’s media interference
In 2025, the military censor banned or redacted over 5,000 news reports, with suppression peaking during Israel’s war with Iran.
By Haggai Matar June 17, 2026
Sally Rooney. (Kalpesh Lathigra)
We’re publishing Sally Rooney in Hebrew, in line with BDS. Here’s how and why
After the Irish author declined an Israeli deal for a recent novel, we saw a chance to help strengthen the boycott movement — and clarify its aims.
By Haggai Matar May 19, 2026
The front pages of newspapers in Israel at a shop in Jerusalem during the judicial overhaul, July 25, 2023. (Chaim Goldbeg/Flash90)
Breaking new records, Israel sees unprecedented spike in media censorship
In 2024, Israel's military censor banned 1,635 articles from publication and partially redacted another 6,265 — part of a wider assault on freedom of press.
By Haggai Matar May 2, 2025
Palestinians and Israelis protest against Netanyahu's plan to annex parts of the West Bank, Tel Aviv, June 6, 2020. (Keren Manor/Activestills)
Grappling with Jewish fears in a just Palestinian struggle
Recognizing Zionism’s settler-colonial nature shouldn’t prevent us from reimagining a collective Jewish existence in this land, or taking seriously the fears that are weaponized to justify Palestinian subjugation.
By Haggai Matar November 26, 2024
Israeli-Palestinian peace conference in the Menora Arena calling for an end to the war and a solution to the conflict, Tel Aviv, July 1, 2024. (Oren Ziv)
A flawed peace conference offers a radical proposal: hope
In a context of fear, hatred, and violence, an Israeli-Palestinian gathering that seemed detached from reality actually represented something revolutionary.
By Haggai Matar July 4, 2024
Members of the Turkish media seen during clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians after Friday prayers in East Jerusalem, December 15, 2023. [Nati Shohat/Flash90]
Israeli military censor bans highest number of articles in over a decade
The sharp rise in media censorship in 2023 comes as the Israeli government further undermines press freedoms, especially amid the Gaza war.
By Haggai Matar May 20, 2024
Destroyed houses from the October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, southern Israel, April 7, 2024. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Six months after October 7, a lament for the paths not chosen
I write to Israelis who believe they have no place in their hearts for Gaza, to understand how we got to this terrible war — and how we must get out of it.
By Haggai Matar April 18, 2024
An Israeli soldier is seen among the destruction caused by Hamas militants in Kibbutz Nir Oz during their October 7 raid, southern Israel, October 30, 2023. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
How October 7 has changed us all — and what it signals for our struggle
It can be hard to recognize a historic moment while living through it, but this time in Israel-Palestine, it’s plain for all to see. Here’s what we know, and what we can surmise, one month on.
By Haggai Matar November 8, 2023
The scene where a rocket fired from Gaza hit and caused damaged in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, October 7, 2023. (Jamal Awad/Flash90)
Gaza’s shock attack has terrified Israelis. It should also unveil the context
The dread Israelis are feeling after today's assault, myself included, has been the daily experience of millions of Palestinians for far too long.
By Haggai Matar October 7, 2023
Journalists take cover in the face of attacks by participants in the annual Jerusalem Day Flag March in Jerusalem's Old City, May 18, 2023. (Oren Ziv)
IDF media intrusions drop, but self-censorship remains in full force
While redactions fell to a 12-year low, Israel’s military censor is still violating press freedom and blocking vital information from reaching the public.
By Haggai Matar September 18, 2023
Most Read
  1. An Israeli professor plotted to massacre Palestinians. Social media rejoiced
  2. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  3. In Gaza, the specter of famine is returning
  4. The permanence of ‘NAZA’
  5. Why Israel’s election was a moment of Palestinian unity
  1. Palestinian citizens are the big winners of Israel’s election. It doesn’t matter
  2. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  3. How Ben Gvir and Smotrich helped drive historic Arab voter turnout
  4. The permanence of ‘NAZA’
  5. To oust Netanyahu, Israel’s opposition needs to learn this lesson from him
  1. ‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza
  2. Debunking Israel’s latest list of ‘terrorist’ journalists in Gaza
  3. Why ‘NAZA’ terrifies Israel's liberal elite
  4. 50 shades of right: An Israeli election primer
  5. ‘There are no dreams here’: How Israel’s outgoing gov't remade the West Bank