AhlulBayt News Agency: The Knesset of the Israeli regime has granted the cabinet the authority to shut down foreign television networks in the Occupied Territories for the next two years, even during peacetime and without a court order.
The Knesset extended a power that allows the cabinet to close foreign TV networks operating in the Occupied Territories. This law, passed in a late-night parliamentary vote with 22 in favor and 10 against, renews the cabinet’s temporary authority to take such action.
This law was originally passed during the Gaza War to shut down media outlets considered a threat to national security. It allows the cabinet to suspend the activities of a foreign media outlet over the next two years, even during peacetime and without a court order.
Under this framework, the cabinet can also close media offices, seize broadcasting equipment, and block access to websites. Additionally, the law grants the Israeli war minister the authority to take measures in the occupied West Bank to prevent satellite broadcasts.
This authority, initially known as the “Al Jazeera Law,” was used to shut down the offices of the Qatari network and block its broadcasts in May 2024. Al Jazeera was ultimately forced to close its Ramallah office in September 2024. Israel accused the network of bias, anti-Israeli tendencies, and supporting Hamas in its news coverage.
In fact, the main target of this law is media outlets that criticize Israeli policies or report on the regime’s crimes against Palestinians. The passage of the law to restrict foreign media activity in the Knesset reflects the Zionist regime’s fear of independent and free media.
This move can be seen as part of a policy of strict information control and suppression of dissenting narratives, which increasingly calls the regime’s legitimacy into question on the global stage. The primary aim of the Zionist regime is to use this law to highlight only its official narrative of regional developments and wars in the media, while preventing the dissemination of opposing viewpoints.
The Knesset, in alignment with the cabinet, considers media outlets as a national security threat.
By restricting foreign media, the Zionist regime seeks to prevent the formation of an accurate picture of the situation in Palestine and its crimes from reaching global public opinion. This law demonstrates that Israel views media not as a tool for information, but as a threat to its very existence. In fact, independent media, by exposing on-the-ground realities, represent the greatest challenge to Israel’s propaganda and false narratives.
The reality is that the Zionist regime considers the truth one of its most dangerous enemies, as it exposes the full extent of its crimes. Over the years, it has employed various methods to counter this threat, chief among them attacking media outlets that do not align with its official narrative and restricting their operations in areas under its control.
The decisions to shut down Al Jazeera and prevent foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip are clear examples of this policy and a blatant violation of international law and freedom of expression. These actions not only expose the false claim of Israel as a democratic regime in the region, but also position it as the number one adversary of free media worldwide.
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