Israeli media reported on Thursday that the regime's military censor ordered the removal of a Calcalist article detailing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son's real estate purchase in the United Kingdom, raising sharp criticism over the use of national security tools for shielding personal or political interests.

The original piece, written by journalist Amitai Gazit, revealed that Avner Netanyahu, the prime minister's younger son, purchased a $550,000 to $575,000 apartment in Oxford in 2022, under the name Avi Avner Segal, a legal alias reflecting his grandmother's maiden name. The purchase was made without a mortgage, and Avner confirmed that it was fully funded by his parents, adding that "they reported everything they needed to report to the Israeli and British tax authorities."

Institutional shielding

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The article appeared prominently in Calcalist's print edition on Wednesday, but within two hours of going live online, the Israeli military censor ordered its removal, a move typically reserved for issues directly linked to domestic security threats. The use of censorship in this case ignited accusations that the tool was being misused to protect the prime minister's family from scrutiny during a period when Netanyahu himself faces multiple corruption trials and increasing public pressure over his wartime conduct.

According to the Israeli media report, the Union of Journalists in "Israel" condemned the censorship, stating: "The use of the tool of censorship must be done only when there is a true fear of harm to the safety of the state of Israel – and no one can say that that is the case regarding real estate stories in Calcalist that are connected to one of the prime minister's children." The group also warned that such interventions inflict "a serious blow to journalists' trust in the decisions of the censor's staff."

The incident comes at a politically sensitive time, as Netanyahu faces mounting calls for a plea bargain or presidential pardon in his long-running corruption trial. His supporters claim that it is "unreasonable" to expect him to appear in court while managing ongoing military campaigns in Gaza and elsewhere, and US President Donald Trump has recently echoed these arguments, calling the trial a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Read more: Trump's call to end Netanyahu trial fuels Israeli debate over pardon

That said, the incident adds to growing fears that Netanyahu's inner circle is increasingly willing to use state institutions to insulate itself from public scrutiny, even as public trust in those very institutions continues to erode.