JERUSALEM\/ISTANBUL <\/p>\n
The Israeli Knesset approved in a preliminary reading on Monday a bill allowing the government to shut down foreign media outlets without prior judicial approval.<\/p>\n
The bill would turn what is known as the \u201cAl Jazeera Law\u201d\u2014 currently a temporary measure allowing Israel to close foreign media for a limited period \u2014 into permanent legislation, Israel\u2019s Haaretz daily reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe temporary measure has expired, and therefore, the new law must be passed quickly,\u201d Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi told the Knesset plenary session.<\/p>\n
The bill passed by 50 votes in favor and 41 against out of 120 members of the Knesset. It will still require three readings to become law.<\/p>\n
Proposed by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner, the bill allows the government to permanently shut down foreign media outlets regardless of whether Israel is in a state of emergency or war.<\/p>\n
In April 2024, the Knesset passed a law authorizing the prime minister and communications minister to ban foreign media deemed to \u201charm Israel\u2019s security.\u201d <\/p>\n
The law\u2014dubbed the \u201cAl Jazeera Law\u201d\u2014was originally designed to halt broadcasts by the Qatari news network Al Jazeera, though it applies to all foreign outlets.<\/p>\n
During discussions in the Knesset National Security Committee last July, the committee\u2019s legal adviser Miri Frankel-Shor warned that Kallner\u2019s proposed amendment\u2014particularly the removal of judicial oversight\u2014raises legal concerns that could reach the level of unconstitutionality, urging the committee not to approve it.<\/p>\n
She added at the time that judicial review is a critical stage in the chain of approvals, allowing all parties to present their positions.<\/p>\n
Frankel-Shor stressed that the temporary measure seeks to balance between freedom of expression for foreign media, the public\u2019s right to know, and state security during wartime.<\/p>\n
Under the law passed last year, which authorized the closure of Al Jazeera\u2019s bureau in Israel, any order to suspend a media outlet must be reviewed by a judge, who may adjust the order\u2019s duration.<\/p>\n
Haaretz noted that the law grants the communications minister, with the prime minister\u2019s approval, the power to halt broadcasts by a foreign channel if the prime minister determines that its content \u201cdirectly threatens the country’s security.\u201d<\/p>\n
Such an order remains valid for up to 90 days, and the law applies only until the end of a declared internal emergency or the conclusion of major military operations.<\/p>\n
The Qatari channel Al Jazeera has provided extensive coverage of Israel\u2019s genocidal war on Gaza ongoing since October 2023 and continuing for two years.<\/p>\n