Jerusalem, 11 November, 2025 (TPS-IL) — The Knesset on Tuesday morning advanced legislation that would grant the government broad and permanent powers to shut down foreign media outlets operating in Israel deemed harmful to national security without requiring court approval.
The proposal, sponsored by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner, passed its first reading by a vote of 50 to 41. It seeks to make permanent the temporary “Al Jazeera Law,” which was enacted in 2024. The bill now returns to the Knesset National Security Committee for further preparation ahead of its second and third readings.
“This is about defending the State of Israel from those who use media freedom as a weapon against it,” said Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.
If the measure passes two more readings, the Minister of Communications would be able to order the closure of a foreign news network at any time — not only during wartime — and without judicial review. The bill also authorizes the minister to instruct internet and content providers to block materials considered damaging to security and allows coordination with the Defense Minister to disrupt satellite signals or broadcasts.
The current ban on Al Jazeera requires renewal every 90 days.
The temporary law was first used in May 2024 to shut down the Qatari network Al Jazeera’s operations in Israel, with authorities citing its cooperation with Hamas. The move drew international criticism and led to the temporary seizure of Associated Press equipment that had been transmitting live footage to Al Jazeera that showed where Israeli forces were assembling.
Both Al Jazeera and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) have challenged the law in court, arguing that it violates freedom of the press and the public’s right to information. However, the Tel Aviv District Court upheld the ban, finding “a clear and proven causal relationship” between Al Jazeera’s broadcasts and terror attacks in Israel.
Files seized in Gaza showed how Al Jazeera collaborated with Hamas, taking directions for covering specific incidents and establishing a secure hotline enabling the terror group to directly communicate with Al Jazeera during emergencies.
Efforts to ban Al Jazeera gained momentum in February 2024 after reporter Mohamed Washah was exposed as a Hamas commander. Soldiers recovered his laptop in northern Gaza and discovered that he played a prominent role in the terror group’s anti-armor missile systems.
Since then, Israeli forces uncovered further documents confirming that active Al Jazeera journalists were also members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and that reporter Ismail al-Ghoul participated in the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as a member of Hamas’ Nukhba Force.
Around 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of three Israelis and one Thai national are still held in Gaza.
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