Israel’s parliament has extended a law allowing it to ban foreign media broadcasts deemed harmful to state security for another two years.
JERUSALEM: Israel’s parliament has extended a law allowing authorities to ban foreign media broadcasts deemed harmful to state security.
The Knesset passed an amendment overnight, keeping the legislation in force until December 31, 2027.
The law was originally adopted in April 2024 during the Israel-Hamas war, primarily targeting Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera.
Israeli authorities have accused Al Jazeera of serving as a “propaganda outlet” for Palestinian militants.
The extension comes despite the Knesset voting to end the official state of emergency on December 1.
A statement on the Knesset’s X account said the amendment “allows, under a temporary provision valid until December 31, 2027, the restriction of broadcasts by foreign media that harm state security.”
According to the Haaretz newspaper, the legislation allows such measures even without a state of emergency.
Under the law, the prime minister can determine if a foreign media outlet poses a security threat.
The communications minister may then order a halt to its broadcasts, shut its offices, seize equipment and block its website.
The prime minister must consult security agencies before issuing a ban, but a single favourable opinion is sufficient.
No judicial review is required to order a shutdown.
“Terrorist channels are out of bounds, in normal times as well as under a state of emergency,” Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi wrote on X.
“After voting for this law several times during the war to stop Al Jazeera’s broadcasts in Israel, last night we finalised it independently of the state of emergency,” he added.
Media freedom in Israel has deteriorated since the start of the war in Gaza.
The country fell 11 places in the Reporters Without Borders 2025 global press freedom index, ranking 112th out of 180 countries.
