HonestReporting reveals that Asaf Ronel, world news editor of Haaretz, has declared that he is an anti-Zionist and that apartheid is a “reality” in Israel. If there was any doubt before that the leftwing Haaretz is not an objective source of Israeli news, there can be none now.

Screen shots capture some of Ronel’s statements on Twitter:

HonestReporting has previously noted that the newspaper’s owner, Amos Schocken, has admitted that Haaretz “is striving not for objective and accurate reporting but for promoting a political and campaigning agenda.”

“[I]f Ronel opposes Zionism,” writes HR, “is there any way to understand his statements other than that he opposes the existence of Israel, or at least the existence of a Jewish homeland in Israel? And if Ronel represents the editorial policy of Haaretz, is there any possible conclusion other than that it is Haaretz policy to oppose Israel’s very existence?”

Haviv Rettig Gur, Senior Analyst for Times of Israel, wrote on Facebook that “Something dishonest is happening at Haaretz, and it’s a damn shame. We need a progressive voice in this country that doesn’t let itself turn into a fawning parrot for the latest anti-Zionist fashion abroad, but speaks to us Israelis, to our experience and concerns, and tries to convince us its vision is better. That’s not Haaretz, at least not anymore.”

HonestReporting concludes that “Ronel is not even a journalist at all: by his own admission, he is really an agenda driven activist… Unfortunately, foreign news outlets often quote Haaretz, misrepresenting it as a mainstream Israeli voice, even though Haaretz’s circulation is only 3.9% of Israeli news readers. This gives news readers around the world an inaccurate understanding of Israel and of Israelis.”

Simon Plosker, HR’s Managing Editor, added that “Haaretz, and particularly its English-language site, plays a significant role in the demonization of Israel. Many foreign journalists find the most negative stories to publish straight from Haaretz. It’s time that they acknowledge that Haaretz is wholly unrepresentative of Israel and Israeli society.”