Knesset extends law to shut down foreign channels in Israel
Lawmakers approved ‘Al Jazeera Law� in April 2024
JERUSALEM ISTANBUL
The Israeli parliament (Knesset) passed an extension Wednesday to a law that allows foreign media outlets operating in the country to be shut down until Nov. 30, according to a parliamentary statement.
Sixteen Knesset members voted in favor of the law, while two opposed out of a total of 120 lawmakers, it said, but did not specify how many lawmakers were present at the session or the positions of the remainder. The Knesset passes laws based on a majority of those present.
The Knesset approved the law in April 2024. The law was dubbed the “Al Jazeera Law” in the media, as it was primarily designed to block the Qatari channel’s broadcasts.
The government decided to ban Al Jazeera, close its offices in Israel and restrict access to its website under the law on May 5, 2024, which allows the communications minister to shut down foreign networks operating in Israel and confiscate their equipment if the defense minister identifies that their broadcasts pose “an actual harm to the state’s security.”
The ban was widely criticized by international and regional organizations as an assault on media freedom.
The Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against the Gaza Strip since October 2023, killing nearly 53,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.�
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
