Tel aviv: Israeli authorities have ordered the blocking of Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen televisions across digital platforms, TV screens, and YouTube. The ban, signed by Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and announced on Sunday, prohibits broadcasting and internet companies, and YouTube from providing services to Al Jazeera and Al-Mayadeen inside Israel.
According to Anadolu Agency, Karhi stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the government approved the expanded ban, citing an amended law that enabled the move. Karhi noted that Al Jazeera had already been 'almost completely' blocked under the revised legislation.
The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the decision will remain in force for 90 days. The newspaper mentioned that the measures expand restrictions imposed more than two years ago under the 'Al Jazeera law,' which bans the broadcasting of the two channels inside Israel. Last month, the Knesset approved an amendment allowing the communications minister to shut down foreign media outlets regardless of whether a state of emergency has been declared.
Under the law, if the prime minister determines, based on security assessments, that a foreign broadcaster harms state security, the communications minister may issue orders subject to Cabinet approval. These measures can include halting broadcasts, closing offices, confiscating equipment, and blocking websites.
Israel banned Al-Mayadeen, which it describes as affiliated with Hezbollah, from operating in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories in November 2023. In May 2024, during the height of Israel's war on Gaza, Tel Aviv barred Al Jazeera from operating, a decision that has been repeatedly extended due to the network's coverage of the conflict.
The ongoing conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with more than 71,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed and over 171,000 others injured since October 2023. The UN estimates the cost of Gaza's reconstruction at about $70 billion. Israel has occupied Palestinian territory and parts of Syria and Lebanon for decades and rejects withdrawal or the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital along pre-1967 lines.