On 1 April, the Israeli Knesset approved the so-called Al Jazeera law, granting the communications minister the power to close foreign media outlets deemed security risks, with Al Jazeera in particular in its crosshairs.
“We have brought an efficient and rapid tool to act against those who use freedom of the press to harm Israel’s security, IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers, and to incite terrorism during wartime,” said the communications minister, Shlomo Karhi. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he intended “to act immediately in accordance with the new law”.
The law is pending formal ratification, but even in its weakened state it is concerning. It serves as a warning to media outlets critical of the government, and has heightened the possibility that platforms opposing it could be shut down or penalised. Karhi has previously issued threats to both the liberal newspaper Haaretz and Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan. There is something quite disturbing in the lengths to which the government will go to shield the realities of Gaza from both the Israeli public and the international community – a fact becoming more apparent to Israelis with each day……more
