After several Israeli government ministries cut ties with the Haaretz newspaper due to comments made by its publisher, Amos Schocken referred to Hamas as freedom fighters, Schocken issued a weak apology. "I reconsidered what I said. Many freedom fighters in the works and in history, maybe even on the road to the establishment of the State of Israel, committed shocking and terrible acts of terror and harmed innocents to reach their goals. I should have said 'Freedom fighters, who use methods of terror and must be fought. The use of terrorism is not legitimate.'