Jaffa
Policemen stand guard in the mixed Jewish-Arab town of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, Israel, May 17, 2021 Image Credit: NYT

A top reporter with the influential Israeli daily Haaretz has resigned over his paper’s coverage of violence in the Southern Israeli port city of Jaffa.

A wave of riots swept several cities in the run up to Israel’s aerial attack on Gaza 12 days ago.

Asaf Ronel, who has worked with Haaretz for over 15 years, announced his resignation via Twitter.

The journalist’s action has been hailed by several influential voices both on and off social media, many of whom expressed their support for Ronel's principled stance.

Haaretz, considered to be one of Israel’s most influential newspapers, has come under flak for its inadequate coverage of attacks against Israel’s Palestinian citizens in recent weeks.

Tensions have run high in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, after attacks on Arab citizens with many residents saying that police either failed to protect them or prevented them from protecting themselves.