Israel extends order authorizing shutdown of foreign channels

The Israeli parliament has extended the order allowing the government to shut down foreign channels operating in the country.

The legislation, passed by a vote of 22 to 10, extends temporary powers introduced during the Gaza war to close outlets considered a threat to national security.

It allows the government to cease the activities of a foreign media outlet for the next two years, even in peacetime and without the need for a court decision.

Initially dubbed the “Al Jazeera law”, these powers were used to close the Qatari channel’s offices and block its broadcasts in May 2024.

Israel has accused Al Jazeera – which has sharply criticized Israel’s military campaign in Gaza – of anti-Israeli bias and support for Hamas in its coverage.

Al Jazeera denied the accusations and condemned Israel’s actions, calling them a “criminal act” and an attack on press freedom.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) said last year that the temporary order violated “freedom of expression, the right to information and freedom of the press, and prevented citizens and residents from receiving various information that does not fit the Israeli narrative or is not broadcast on Israeli media channels.”

The legislation extending the order was passed hours after the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to close Army Radio, or Galei Tzahal (GLZ), a state-funded station operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) but editorially independent.

According to the plan proposed by Defense Minister Israel Katz, the station will cease operations by March 1, 2026.

Katz argued that Army Radio, which employs both active-duty soldiers and civilians, “no longer serves as a voice or ear for soldiers and broadcasts political and divisive content that is not consistent with IDF values.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the cabinet meeting that a station broadcasting under the authority of the military was highly unusual.

“I think it exists in North Korea and maybe a few other countries, and we probably don’t want to be a part of it,” he said.

The Union of Journalists and Journalists’ Organizations said it would lodge a complaint with the High Court of Justice against the decision, calling it a “serious and illegal violation of freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think tank said the closure of Army Radio was a serious violation of freedom of expression and had effectively wiped out half of Israel’s independent public radio news broadcasts.

“The decision to close a public media outlet is not an isolated decision. It is part of a broader and worrying pattern of continued attack on Israeli democracy,” the text warns.