TEL AVIV, 25 Dec. - (ANA) - Israel has extended sweeping powers to shut down foreign media outlets, entrenching a ban targeting Al Jazeera and further curbing independent coverage on Gaza.

 

Israel's Knesset has approved an extension of legislation allowing the government to shut down foreign media outlets for an additional two years, a move widely understood to be aimed at Al Jazeera.

 

Israeli media reported on Tuesday that the bill was approved in its second and third readings, replacing temporary emergency legislation passed in April 2024 and setting the measure on course to become permanent.

 

Under the revised legislation, court approval will no longer be required to shut down a media outlet, a change that has intensified concerns among rights groups over press freedom and independent coverage of Israeli brutality targeting Palestinians.

 

The law can also be applied even when Israel is not formally in a state of emergency.

 

The legislation was first introduced during Israel’s war on Gaza, which began in October 2023, and became widely known as the "Al Jazeera Law" after it was used to shut down the network's operations in Israel in May 2024.

 

Under the law, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the communications minister are empowered to order a foreign outlet to suspend broadcasts, close offices, confiscate equipment and block websites if it is deemed to threaten state security.

 

The prime minister may also impose restrictions on a foreign channel's broadcasts following consultations with security bodies, including the police. The defence minister is granted authority to take technological measures to prevent reception of broadcasts via satellite, including in the occupied West Bank.

 

Reports said 22 lawmakers voted in favour of the bill, while 10 opposed it, including nine Palestinian members of parliament.

 

The law has previously been used against other foreign outlets. In May 2024, Israeli authorities seized equipment and shut down a live feed operated by the Associated Press, a move that was later reversed following international condemnation.

 

Earlier this year, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on the public to report anyone watching Al Jazeera to the police, urging action against viewers of the channel.

 

"We will not allow Al Jazeera to broadcast from Israel," Ben-Gvir said at the time, calling on citizens to inform the authorities and accusing the network of posing a security threat.

 

Al Jazeera has rejected Israel's accusations as defamatory and politically motivated, and said the measures amount to a violation of international law and media freedoms. The network has held Israeli authorities responsible for the safety of its journalists and offices.

 

The Al Jazeera website and television channel remain banned in Israel under the law.

 

Israel has faced sustained criticism over restrictions on journalists and media access during its war on Gaza, ranking 112th in this year’s World Press Freedom Index.

 

Israel was also named the world’s deadliest country for journalists in 2025, marking the third consecutive year it has topped the list.

 

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Israeli forces have killed 10 Al Jazeera staff journalists in Gaza since October 2023, along with nine freelancers who worked with the network during the war.    - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/25 December 2025 - - -