Extension of Foreign Broadcaster Closure Order
Israel's parliament has extended an order allowing the government to shut down foreign broadcasters operating within the country. This legislation grants the government authority for the next two years to cease operations of a foreign outlet without requiring a court order, even during peacetime.
The powers, originally introduced as temporary measures during the Gaza conflict, were utilized in May 2024 to close the offices and block broadcasts of the Qatari-owned channel Al Jazeera. In September 2024, Al Jazeera was also compelled to close its office in Ramallah, located in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli government has accused Al Jazeera, which has critically reported on Israel's military campaign in Gaza, of anti-Israel bias and supporting Hamas in its coverage. Al Jazeera has denied these allegations, characterizing Israel's actions as a "criminal act" and an assault on press freedom.
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) previously stated that the temporary order infringed upon "freedom of expression, the right to information and freedom of the press," suggesting it limited public access to information divergent from the Israeli narrative.
Approval for Army Radio Shutdown
Concurrently, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to shut down Army Radio (Galei Tzahal), a state-funded station operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that maintains editorial independence. Under the proposal from Defence Minister Israel Katz, the station is scheduled to cease operations by March 1, 2026.
Minister Katz argued that Army Radio, which employs both active-duty soldiers and civilians, "no longer serves as a mouthpiece and ear for soldiers and broadcasts political and divisive content that is not in line with IDF values." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented during the cabinet meeting that a military-supervised broadcasting station is highly unusual globally.
In response, the Union of Journalists and Journalists' Organisations announced plans to petition the High Court of Justice against the decision, calling it "a severe and unlawful infringement on freedom of expression and freedom of the press." The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think tank stated that shutting Army Radio constitutes a significant violation of freedom of expression, effectively eliminating half of Israel's independent public radio news broadcasts. The IDI further warned that "the decision to shut down a public media organisation is not an isolated move. It is part of a broader and worrying pattern of ongoing harm to Israeli democracy."