In the midst of the current conflict with Hamas, the Israeli government has adopted new legislation that will enable it to temporarily down the Al Jazeera bureaus, citing the outlet’s reports as detrimental to national security, The Times of Israel reported on Friday.
As per the daily, Israel’s Minister of Communication, Shlomo Karhi, has spearheaded the effort to enact these legislation with the intention of shutting down Al Jazeera, citing harm to national security as the reason.
The rules take effect immediately, thus any move to close the local section of the resolutely pro-Palestinian news organization can now be based on broadcasts made by the Qatari network since the beginning of the war.
“Israel is at war on land, in the air, at sea, and on the public diplomacy front. We will not allow in any way broadcasts that harm the security of the state… The broadcasts and reports of Al Jazeera constitute incitement against Israel, help Hamas-ISIS and the terror organizations with their propaganda, and encourage violence against Israel,” says Karhi.
The Times of Israel reported that under the new regulations, the communications minister, with the defense minister’s approval, will have the authority to order TV providers to cease airing the news outlet in question, shut down its offices in Israel, seize its equipment, and either shut down its website or restrict access to it, depending on where its server is located.
The security cabinet must approve the decision, which is subject to a district court review and must be supported by legal opinions from the security establishment stating that the outlet is seriously endangering national security.
Such a ruling, according to The Times of Israel, will take effect for thirty days and may be renewed for an additional thirty days. The three-month emergency regulations will remain in effect until the government formally ends the particular state of emergency.
