Businessman Affiliated with the Republican Party Berates 'Aravot' Editor for Not Removing Article from Website

'Aravot' reports in its editorial: Yesterday, a medium-scale businessman affiliated with the Republican Party called me, complaining that 'Aravot' was defaming him. As I usually do, I suggested he publish his perspective and his understanding of reality in our newspaper. He did not agree. As an alternative, I suggested he take the matter to court to seek justice. In response, my interlocutor claimed that I was defaming our heroic nation and that I wanted to turn everyone into collaborators. He wanted the article removed from the website, which is both pointless—since it had been published a few days earlier—and ethically unacceptable. Negotiations, as they say, ended without results. Shortly thereafter, the businessman sent me a sexually charged insult via SMS. Naturally, I forgive him and do not intend to pursue the matter further. I have always said that insults are actually cries for help and only characterize the mental state of the insulter.

I mention this story because I was once again convinced that, regardless of what the current authorities are doing now, the revolution that took place in April-May of the previous year was justified, primarily because the past style of communication with the media was characterized by impunity and a disconnect from real life. I say 'primarily in the past,' because, as you can see, certain 'relapses' still exist. By the way, I consider the new authorities' reaction to my statement 'I know whose orders you are fulfilling' to be a 'relapse' as well. It is entirely natural that both my expectations and those of the majority of our citizens from the current administration are greater than those from the previous one. For example, none of us had doubts that the majority of judges in the past were agents of the authorities. But now we once again have doubts about whether today’s leaders really want the courts to be independent or are trying to also make them their agents.

Read the full article in today’s issue of the newspaper.